Currently 11 active research and journalism grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in the EU. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Almost every entry is funded; a few notable unpaid open calls and festival submissions are included as clearly flagged exceptions. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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Supports independent investigative journalism across Europe, well-suited to surveillance, AI, platform governance and data-driven investigations. Cross-border team requirement: at least two professional journalists (freelance or staff) from at least two different countries; at least 80% of the budget must go to journalists/media from EU member states. The next round closes 30 July 2026 at 1 pm CET.
The Digital Democracy Centre (DDC) at the University of Southern Denmark, with support from TrygFonden, is calling for applications for its 2027 fellowship cohort. The program fosters collaboration between researchers, journalists, and policymakers exploring the impact of digital technology and AI on media, politics, and democracy. Fellows collaborate with a self-selected DDC mentor to generate new knowledge, contribute to public debate, develop networks, and produce tangible outreach outputs such as policy briefs, educational packages, and talks. THREE FELLOWSHIP TYPES: (1) academic fellows researching digital technologies and democracy; (2) journalist fellows covering digital technology and democracy; (3) policy fellows contributing to the regulatory debate. Target group: researchers, journalism graduates, and policymakers in research/educational institutions, media organizations, ministries, NGOs, etc. PRIORITIES: projects with clear relevance to Denmark or Danish society (including comparative/international projects yielding insights relevant to a Danish context); in 2027, projects related to DDC's Hybrid Warfare Initiative (societal resilience to new forms of international conflict, with a focus on digital technologies and AI) are also prioritized. EXPECTATIONS: applicants must secure confirmation of mentorship from their desired DDC mentor BEFORE applying (applications without a confirmed mentor are automatically rejected; PhD students and research assistants are generally not eligible as mentors, and Sten Schaumburg-Muller is unavailable as a mentor for the 2027 call); applicants must also coordinate support from their current supervisors/managers. Fellows engage in DDC activities, seminars/workshops, and public outreach, and submit a short report within two months of finishing. APPLICATION (in English): preliminary project title, fellowship type, brief project description (max 1000 chars), detailed description and timeline (max 2400 chars, including duration, confirmed mentor, and remote/in-office work plan), description of activities and collaboration with external practice partners (max 1000 chars), expected product/impact/output (max 500 chars), a CV (max 5 pages), and an overview of the posts for which financial support is sought. Submit the application form (PDF or Word) plus CV as PDFs to ddc@sdu.dk with subject line 'DDC / TrygFonden Fellowship application'. Deadline 1 September 2026; decisions communicated no later than 1 October 2026.
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships support researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out research abroad, acquire new skills, develop their careers and have international mobility. Open to excellent researchers of any nationality. The 2026 call opened 9 April 2026 and closes 9 September 2026 at 17:00 CEST; notification of call results expected February 2027; grant agreement signature April 2027. Two strands: European Postdoctoral Fellowships (12 to 24 months in Europe) and Global Postdoctoral Fellowships (12 to 24 months outside Europe + 12-month return phase in Europe). The project must take place in a country different from where the researcher has worked or studied. Approximately 1,600 projects funded. Apply via the EU Funding & Tenders Opportunities Portal; submission is by the fellow plus host institution. Eligibility: researcher must have a PhD at the call deadline (or have submitted thesis with all requirements met), maximum 8 years full-time-equivalent research experience post-PhD, must comply with the mobility rule (no more than 12 months in the host country in the 36 months before the deadline).
Small curiosity-driven research grants in the social sciences and humanities, awarded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). Round 3 of the 2026 SSH Open Competition XS closes 15 September 2026, 14:00 CEST. Up to EUR 50,000 per project to enable researchers to pursue novel, exploratory and high-risk ideas without the constraints of larger themed calls. ELIGIBILITY: academic researchers with an institutional affiliation at a Dutch university or recognised Dutch knowledge institute. Proposals are assessed on scientific quality and the potential for renewal of social-sciences and humanities research. Round 3 details and the dedicated application page will be published by NWO closer to the deadline; the linked page is the most recent SSH XS round, which is the same scheme.
The Royal Conservatoire Antwerp (AP University of the Arts) invites applications for artistic research projects starting 20 September 2027, in three types: start projects, one-year projects, and two-year research projects. Applications are embedded in one or more of the Conservatoire's four research groups, supervised by a supervisor, and must align with the Conservatoire's mission and vision. FOCAL POINTS across disciplines: research into improvisation and intuitive creation and performance practices; new dramaturgical and scenographic approaches in cross-over projects; methodologies for interdisciplinary creation processes; sustainable relationships between artists and urban communities; the possibilities and limitations of inclusion in education and/or on stage; and well-being and resilience in music and performing arts. FUNDING (salaried research position): start projects, 20% employment for 12 months plus EUR 1,000 operating resources; one-year projects, 55% employment for 12 months plus EUR 1,000; two-year projects, 55% employment for 24 months plus EUR 2,000. PRECONDITIONS: the applicant holds a relevant master's degree and conducts research situated in or arising from their own artistic practice with the capacity for discursivity; the proposal must align with the Conservatoire's mission/vision; the applicant must be able to enter contractual employment with the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp/AP University of the Arts for the duration of the project (international applicants must hold a valid Belgian work permit); proposals may be submitted only in Dutch or English. PROCEDURE (two steps): STEP 1, submit an expression of interest by 21 September 2026, 12:00 noon (applicants informed by the week of 5 October whether they may develop a full proposal with a research group); STEP 2, submit the full project dossier by 1 December 2026, 12:00 noon. Evaluation by an independent reading committee aims to conclude in March 2027. Contact: Kevin Voets, Head of Research, kevin.voets@ap.be.
Horizon Europe Cluster 2 funds research on culture, creativity, and inclusive society. The 2026 call (HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE, launched May 12, 2026) covers 7 topics with an indicative budget of €85.5 million. Topic HERITAGE-04 is explicitly titled 'Towards a fair and transparent market for cultural and creative content in the era of generative AI,' covering: impacts of generative AI on creative industries employment; upskilling needs for creative workers; policy and regulatory frameworks; fair remuneration and transparency. Highly relevant for research into AI and cultural/creative industries, artists' rights in the AI era, and sociotechnical studies of AI and culture. ELIGIBILITY: consortium-based applications (minimum 3 organisations from 3 different EU/associated countries are typical for Horizon RIA grants; check call conditions on the Funding & Tenders portal for specific requirements). Deadline: 23 September 2026. Apply via the EU Funding & Tenders portal (ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders).
ELIGIBILITY: two Researcher-in-Residence positions in 2027. Open to early-career researchers of any discipline (data science, social science, computer science, humanities) who are currently working on a PhD or within 5 years of their PhD end date. You must have, or be able to secure, an affiliation with a Dutch university or research institute willing to second you; external PhD students may use the funding to obtain such a contract. Your project must make use of one or more of the KB digital collections and you must be able to work with primarily Dutch data. You must be available at 0.5 FTE over 6 months and able to spend two days a week on-site at the KB in The Hague. COLLECTIONS: over 130 million digitized pages of newspapers, magazines, radio bulletins and books from 1470 onward (via Delpher and DBNL), a born-digital web collection of more than 23,000 websites, ground-truth and derived datasets on the KB Lab, and metadata including Linked Data. APPLY: use the official proposal template and submit a single PDF by 27 September 2026 to dh@kb.nl, after reading the call's terms and conditions; questions to dh@kb.nl. TIMELINE: deadline 27 September 2026; internal eligibility review followed by an external committee review; outcome notified November 2026; residencies start Q1 and Q3 2027. DISCIPLINES: digital humanities / data science / computational research with cultural-heritage collections. NOTE: the output is usually a dataset or tool prototype hosted on the KB Lab; you agree to share results via blog posts on the KB Lab and to publish resulting tools or data under an open license within 6 months of the residency. Proposals should align with the KB Research Agenda or the Cultural AI Lab.
The European Cultural Foundation invites artists to research its historical archives, held at the Historical Archives of the European Union in Florence, through a new Artistic Research Fellowship with a EUR 10,000 grant covering travel, accommodation, and living costs; the artistic output is delivered within two years. A strong fit for archive-driven, research-based, and critical data practices. Deadline 30 September 2026, 17:00 CET.
The Research Networking Day (RND) is an exchange platform for graduate or postgraduate students and independent artists conducting self-guided research traversing audio, arts, media, design, and related theoretical disciplines. The RND 2027 open call seeks innovative and critical submissions from all areas of study addressing the CTM 2027 festival theme 'Process...ing'. Nine selected candidates give short ten-minute presentations within different modules, linked by discussion rounds at the end of each module, offering an international platform to exchange with colleagues and researchers working on related ideas; research is also shared via audio/video after the festival on CTM's YouTube and SoundCloud channels. This edition takes place in collaboration with the Design Academy Eindhoven, Universitat der Kunste Berlin (UdK), and Leuphana University Luneburg. CONDITIONS: presentations take place on-site within the festival's Discourse programme, in English; applications are for individual (solo) presentations only (no duos or groups). As in previous years, no funding is available for travel and accommodation; participants receive a CTM 2027 festival pass, a catered lunch on the day, and a group dinner. Entrance to the event is free. KEY DATES: application deadline 25 October 2026 at 23:59 CET; programme announced mid to late November 2026; RND 2027 event Sunday 24 January 2027; CTM 2027 runs 22 to 31 January 2027.
The Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp (AP University of Applied Sciences and Arts) invites applications for two-year artistic research projects starting 20 September 2027. Two-year research projects provide 55% employment for the research assignment over 24 months (as a contractual project staff member) plus EUR 2,000 in operating funds (EUR 1,000 per project year). Proposals are developed in collaboration with the Academy's research groups and must align with, endorse, and further develop the mission and vision of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. PRECONDITIONS: the proposal must be in line with the Academy's mission/vision; the applicant must be legally employable by the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp/AP Hogeschool on a contractual basis; and, at the time of application, the applicant must hold a Master's degree in Visual Arts awarded by a Belgian higher education institution (a non-Belgian degree is possible only if validated or recognised through the NARIC procedure, with proof included or a declared willingness to undergo it). PROCEDURE (two steps): STEP 1, apply via the Expression of Interest form sent to research_royalacademyantwerp@ap.be before 3 November 2026, 12:00 noon (applicants informed no later than end November 2026 whether they may develop a full dossier); STEP 2, submit the full dossier via the two-year project application form before 1 February 2027, 12:00 noon. Evaluation by an independent reading committee aims to conclude in May 2027. Contact: research_royalacademyantwerp@ap.be.
Residency programme run by the Art Explora Foundation with the Cite internationale des arts at its Montmartre site, supporting work that engages scientific and technological exploration and the major social and environmental issues of the present. Residents receive a studio-apartment of around 50 sqm, a monthly living grant of EUR 1,000, a production grant of up to EUR 3,000, and a round-trip travel grant, plus access to production facilities and local networks. Two tracks are offered: a SOLO programme for artists and writers across visual arts, performance, digital practices, literary and other experimental disciplines, and a COLLECTIVE programme for duos or collectives working collaboratively on interdisciplinary, experimental or research-based projects, for which a single studio-apartment designed for collaborative work hosts two residents sharing a bed, and only one member should submit the application. Eligible artistic disciplines are visual arts, performance and live arts, digital arts, curatorial practices, and writing and literary practices; eligible research fields are humanities, social sciences, cultural studies and history, technological innovation, and ecology. No output is required at the end of the residency, but participation in the Open Studios is mandatory. ELIGIBILITY: artists, artist collectives, researchers, curators and writers of all nationalities, no age restriction, with a minimum of five years of professional activity and works or research exhibited at national or international level. The Cite lists 20 to 22 residencies per year on this programme. Deadline 6 November 2026, 23:59 Europe/Paris. Questions: residences@artexplora.org. FLAG: the grant figures above come from the open-call text supplied to the desk; neither the Cite nor Art Explora publishes amounts on the programme page, so confirm them, along with the exact deadline, before applying.