tarboot Competition: A Call for Proposals

Background

The National Library of Israel (NLI), located in Jerusalem, is tasked with preserving the cultural treasures of the State of Israel and of the Jewish People, and provides a home for Jewish works and heritage. NLI holds more than five million printed and archival items, including periodicals, maps, books, audio materials, and more.

NLI’s mission is to collect, preserve, and disseminate the cultural heritage of all of the State of Israel’s citizens and communities and of the Jewish people. In the second half of 2022, NLI’s new building will be opened, as part of the Library’s renewal process, marking its transformation into a leading cultural institution in Israel. The renewal process is a testimony to the importance of heritage and culture in Israeli society and to the continuity of the Jewish people.

The competition aims to assist in the development of groundbreaking ideas that will expand the use of digital cultural heritage materials by the general public.

Yad Hanadiv invites technologists and educators, visionaries and students, start-up companies and other organizations from Israel and abroad to submit creative proposals presenting solutions, developments, and digital products, as well as ways for their practical implementation, that will help make cultural heritage materials, including those in NLI’s collections, more accessible – all as detailed in this call for proposals.

The competition is not focused on specific challenges, but in order to demonstrate the types of solutions sought, here are a few directions:

• Depth and context: How can the past enable us to better understand the present? How can current headlines be given new depth and context by past events?
• Big data: Millions of catalogued items create vast amounts of data. What can we do with these databases? How can we turn them into content with a story to tell?
• Genealogy: What can the encounter with the treasures of our past tell us about ourselves? About the spectacular human tapestry composing our society? How can a joint encounter with these cultural treasures build and connect communities?
• How to tell a story: Modern technology platforms enable us to tell a story in many different ways, through social media, blogs, the world of gaming, podcasts, and all that is yet to be invented. How can cultural and historical materials be given a new life on them?

Process for Participation in the Different Tracks

Yad Hanadiv hereby calls upon any interested party – entrepreneurs, educators, designers, content editors, start-up companies (as defined below), students, and others to submit proposals presenting ideas for implementable digital products, which will help make NLI materials and cultural materials from various other sources more accessible and widely used. The proposal should present the initial specification of the development (visual, textual, and/or video – via a URL link to the applicants’ video clip), clarifying how the idea can be implemented and the concept behind it.

The proposal must be available for practical implementation during the two years beginning with the announcement of the winning proposals, with the pilot and preliminary operation to be conducted over 2022-2023.

There are three competition tracks:

1. General track: A track suitable for any participant – individuals, corporations, partnerships, students, etc. First prize (for the proposal selected by Yad Hanadiv at the second stage): U.S. $50,000.
2. Student track: A track for pupils and students of any age, who may submit a proposal as individuals or in groups, as long as the applicant (an individual or a group representative) is an educational institution pupil or a student (at any age and from any country). First prize (for the proposal selected by Yad Hanadiv at the second stage): U.S. $50,000.
3. Start-up track: A track for start-up companies (according to their definition below). First prize (for the proposal selected by Yad Hanadiv at the second stage): U.S. $50,000.

A “start-up company” is any company that meets this definition: A growth-focused company that is based on a technological idea. A company that advocates innovation – finding innovative technological solutions to existing problems, which has existed for no more than five years and whose annual sales do not exceed U.S. $20 million.

Proposal(s) selected as suitable for realization and implementation, at Yad Hanadiv’s discretion and in consultation with the NLI, may award its applicant(s) with an amount for its realization and implementation. The total amount for the implementation of all selected proposals will not exceed U.S. $3 million (for all proposals). The distribution of the amount and/or selection of proposals will be done at Yad Hanadiv’s discretion, in consultation with the NLI.

The period for conducting the negotiation process and concluding the cooperation agreement is limited to two months, which can be extended by mutual consent. In the event that an agreement is not reached by the said date, NLI will be entitled to negotiate with other participants, in any of the tracks, at its sole discretion. The above does not obligate NLI to contract with any applicant in any track and/or to realize and implement the proposal.

Upon proposal submission, participants should indicate the track to which they are submitting their proposal, but Yad Hanadiv may transfer a proposal to another track, with the consent of the participants.

Participants who submit a proposal may apply to Yad Hanadiv to unite or join their proposal to another or an additional proposal submitted by other participants, with the consent of all parties. It should further be noted that Yad Hanadiv will also have the right to unite or join submitted proposals, subject to participants’ approval, and at any time, even after proposal submission date.

In addition, individuals or groups with an existing product/development, which may be submitted and implemented according to the purposes of this call – are invited to submit them, provided that this does not infringe upon the contractual and intellectual property rights of the product or product under development – and it is the participants’ responsibility to verify this prior to submitting the proposal. Furthermore, individuals or groups currently working with NLI are also invited to submit proposals.

Competition Timetable

This Call For Proposals is published on various media channels from January 20, 2022 – participants considering proposal submission are invited to update Yad Hanadiv by sending a message through the dedicated website (herein, “the website”), whose address is www.tarboot.org, along with their contact details, in order to receive regular updates about the call for proposals.

Throughout the publication period, participants are invited to contact us using the means detailed in this call in order to receive information that may aid them in formulating and preparing their proposal, including information about the contents and items which we seek to make accessible to the public and which are located at NLI and elsewhere. Participants are hereby informed that Yad Hanadiv intends to hold physical/virtual meetings – it is recommended that participants join the competition’s distribution list and follow the updates published on the website.

Yad Hanadiv will also publish updates, changes, and answers to questions and requests it will receive during the publication period. Participants who wish to ask a question or receive additional information will send an email to competition@tarboot.com

Participants should submit their proposals through the website by May 25, 2022 at 23:59. Participants who will not submit their candidacy by the specified time, Yad Hanadiv will not be able to examine their proposals.

During the months following this date, the proposals will be reviewed according to the set criteria, and a decision with regards to the finalists – those continuing to the second stage will be made during the second half of 2022.

The winning proposals will be selected from among the finalists during the second half of 2022.

How to Submit a Proposal to the First Stage

Proposals should be submitted in English only, by clicking the Submit button on the website, and attaching all details and documents specified below. Participants are responsible to ensure they receive a response email acknowledging receipt of their proposal.

• The proposal, up to three pages in length and no more than three pages, should be prepared electronically (not in handwriting). A video may be incorporated into the proposal. If you choose to incorporate a video clip, it must be at least 60 seconds in duration and no more than 120 seconds.
  The proposal must address a number of material details, including: A general description of the proposal and the idea it seeks to implement; a description of the impact of the digital contents on a wide community of users in Israel and around the world; identifying large communities of potential users; the types of activities incorporated in the proposed idea and how it will advance the call for proposals’ goals, including the goals of NLI; how items from NLI’s collections and/or cultural heritage items in the possession of other individuals and institutions in Israel and around the world will be used; any other material information that may help in examining the proposal.
• The proposal must be accompanied by an initial specification (visual or textual and/or a URL link to a video clip created by the applicants) clarifying how the proposal will be implemented and the conceptual perception of the proposal. Presentations, examples, roadmaps, or any other relevant material, which the participants deem necessary and may help in proposal evaluation, may also be enclosed.

In addition, enclose with the proposal the following details and documents:

• Participants’ details: In proposals submitted by individuals, include the name of person submitting the proposal, their country of residence, contact details, and any additional information the applicant deems necessary (student card, certificates, etc.) In proposals submitted by corporations, note the full name of the submitting company, its country of incorporation, contact details, and any additional information the corporation deems necessary (certificates, approvals, etc.); In proposals submitted by groups, note the full name of each group member, the name and contact and contact information of the group’s contact person, and any additional information the group deems necessary (certificates, approvals, etc.)
• Each proposal should include details of participants’ previous experience relevant to the proposal and/or to the idea proposed within it, with examples of previous similar/relevant projects (if such exist).
• By submitting their proposal, the participants will approve the memorandum of understanding between them and Yad Hanadiv for the purposes of their participation in the competition. The memorandum of understanding appears at the end of the proposal submission form, and is an integral part thereof. The memorandum can also be accessed through the following link: www.tarboot.org/en/submission-agreement.

Stages of Proposal Examination

Proposal examination and evaluation will be conducted in two stages.

• In the first stage, a professional committee will examine the proposals submitted in each track separately, according to the set criteria, including: Assessment of product impact; whether the product carries a substantial cultural message benefitting the world; the extent to which the proposed idea is groundbreaking and innovative, in terms of implementing an existing technology or creating a new one for cultural and historical heritage content; does the proposal meet a need and is it relevant to numerous audiences; how would the product affect or improve the lives of numerous audiences; the product’s technological accessibility and availability for the target audience (compatibility between the solution and the challenge) and congruency with NLI’s mission and goals and use of NLI collections; applicants’ ability to implement the proposal within a set period of time (two years from winner announcement) and other capabilities.
• At the end of the first stage, Yad Hanadiv will update the participants selected to continue to the second stage, as well as the other participants.
• It should be noted that the professional committee may be identical or different in composition for the different tracks, and for the competition’s different stages.
• Participants continuing to the second stage will be asked to submit, by a date specified by Yad Hanadiv, a POC (proof of concept) for their proposal, which will present an initial development of the product or solution, on the basis of which Yad Hanadiv would be able to assess their proposal. For the purposes of the said development, Yad Hanadiv will award a cash grant of up to a total of U.S. $10,000 (per proposal) to these participants, to assist them in the initial implementation of the proposed product/solution.
• In addition, the participants at this stage may also be required to submit additional documents or details according to Yad Hanadiv’s request.
• At the second stage, the committee will examine the proposals according to several criteria to be communicated to participants whose proposals passed the first stage.
• At the end of the second stage, Yad Hanadiv will inform the winner(s) in each track about their winning.
• A proposal ranked as one of the three top proposals and which was submitted by more than one participant, the prize will be divided equally among the proposal partners according to the details submitted to Yad Hanadiv.
• In each of the stages, Yad Hanadiv may contact the participants, through any of the means of communication provided by them, with a request for additional information or details, and may also summon the participants to a meeting with the professional committee or to professional meetings which will be held in Israel.
• It is hereby emphasized: Should Yad Hanadiv decide to hold committees, meetings, workshops (virtual and/or frontal), during the entire competition period, the participants will be obligated to participate (at the relevant stage), and will have to prepare in advance for this and cooperate. Yad Hanadiv will consider providing funding for the purpose of attending meetings at its discretion.

General Instructions

For further details, please contact Mr. Liron Meroz by email, to competition@tarboot.org

Any individual participant or group of participants submitting their proposal may be part of one proposal only, which will be submitted through one of the three tracks specified in this document.

Any individual participant or group of participants under the age of 18 will submit their proposal with the signed consent of a legal guardian.

Yad Hanadiv attaches importance to the integration of the different populations in the community, and accordingly, priority may be given to various groups, all towards advancing them in the community and creating equal opportunities.

Yad Hanadiv is entitled to make any decision with regards to conducting the procedure, including: winner selection, non-selection of proposals, performing collaborations with third parties, selection of participants ranked second in any track (or in some of the tracks), and also has the right to refrain from awarding one or more of the said prizes, or to determine not to implement the selected proposal or any other proposals, all at its sole discretion and based on the details presented to it, and participants will have no claim or future demand in this matter – and regardless of the stage at which the decision was made. In submitting their proposals, the participants will be considered as having agreed to everything stated in this document, and Yad Hanadiv will not be required to provide explanations and/or references to its decisions.

Yad Hanadiv will be entitled to delay and/or change the terms or dates of the procedure and/or cancel it at any stage, by giving written notice, and participants shall have no claim and/or demand in this regard, including with regards to losses, damages, or investments made in connection with their proposal for the procedure.

In the event of a contradiction between the Arabic, Hebrew, and English versions of this Call for Proposal, the English version shall prevail.

Yad Hanadiv hereby clarifies that this call for proposals is a call to the general public to propose diverse proposals and ideas, and does not constitute a tender or tender-like transaction. Yad Hanadiv reserves the right to not accept any proposals, and will be entitled to cancel or republish the call for proposals. The call for proposals is subject to Israeli law.