070110 Dev support 07 begins

Development Support 2007: Application process begins
As part of the Nordic Game Program’s launch last year, a total of 2 million Danish crowns (DKK) was granted for development support to Nordic game companies. This amount has been more than doubled for 2007, with the funds to be allocated over two application rounds.
 
- 5 million DKK has been committed to development support for 2007, comments Erik Robertson, head of Nordic Game Program, - and to make the application process more flexible, we have chosen to split the amount in two, and give developers two opportunities per year to submit their projects for funding.

The first round has just been initiated, and Nordic game development companies can send in their projects for evaluation by the Development Support Expert Group now. The application deadline is 12.00 pm on 15 April 2007. The year’s second application period will run from 1 September to 15 October 2007.

The projects that are granted funding in the first round will be presented at the Nordic Game 2007 conference in Malmö on the 15-16 May, with the Finnish Minister of Culture heading the official ceremony (more about the conference at
www.nordicgame.com).

The development support program aims to improve the availability of computer games with a strong Nordic component for children and young people in the Nordic region. Thus a number of requirements must be met to be granted support: applicants must be incorporated, independent and Nordic-owned, and the game to be funded must be released in at least one of the Nordic languages.

In the evaluation process certain criteria are prioritized, among these the project’s appropriateness for the target group, especially concerning age, the company’s documented experience and the importance of development funding to the project’s success.