The European Hybrid Intelligence Network Open Call

The European Hybrid Intelligence Network (EHIN) is a transdisciplinary platform connecting artists, scientists, engineers, and local field practitioners to explore new forms of hybrid intelligence emerging from non-human living systems.

EHIN (the European Hybrid Intelligence Network) is excited to announce its Open Call for Artists' Residencies. This programme brings together artists, scientists and field practitioners to explore hybrid intelligence, embedded between different species and in living systems, and biocomputing as a creative and ecological alternative to energy-intensive, silicon-based technologies.
Through six Dirtly Lab residencies, hosted by six partner institutions across Europe, EHIN offers artists the opportunity to develop a new artwork in direct collaboration with scientists in the field of hybrid intelligence and bio-computation and a local field practitioner (such as a herbalist, farmer, or ecologist), supported by dedicated production teams and access to specialised infrastructure.
Key facts at a glance:

• 6 residencies, one hosted by each of the six EHIN partner institutions
• Each residency pairs 1 artist + 1 scientist/expert + 1 field practitioner
• Every artist also completes a second, co-production phase at a partner lab within the consortium, gaining access to complementary expertise or infrastructure
• Artist conducts practice-based research in the open and innovative format of a Dirty
  Lab: a flexible, field-based research and production environment.
• Each residency includes at least 2 Open Dirty Labs: public engagement activities sharing the artistic and scientific process with local communities
• Resulting artworks are shown locally by the residency host institutions and all six art
  works are shown together in a final group exhibition and symposium in October 2028 at ZKM (Karlsruhe)
• The six host partners are: Kersnikova Institute (Slovenia), CPN (Serbia), GLUON (Belgium), LABoral (Spain), ZKM (Germany), and KONTEJNER (Croatia)

EHIN is a programme designed to support six artists through a two-phase, cross-institutional residency, running for approximately 12 months per artist, starting from February 2027. Each artist works within a Dirty Lab, in direct collaboration with a biocomputing expert and a local field practitioner, to develop a new artwork exploring the interdependence and communication between living systems. The residency unfolds on-site at two different partner institutions across Europe, with continuous remote support in between.
What do the residencies offer:

•  Up to EUR 25.000 budget per residency, covering artist fee and production costs.
• Travel and accommodation costs are arranged separately in agreement with the host institution(s) for both residency phases.
• Curatorial guidance and production support from the Residency Host Institution and
  its scientific/research partners throughout both phases
• Access to biocomputing experts and local field practitioners in agreement with the
  Host Institution. See the expert capacities per host institution in the partner booklet;
• A second co-production phase at a partner institution of the artist's choice, granting
  access to complementary infrastructure, ecosystems or expertise not available at the first host (for example travelling from a wetlab to a sensorics ab)
• Public presentation of the resulting artwork in a solo exhibition or group show organized by the Residency Host and inclusion in the final group exhibition and symposium at ZKM, Karlsruhe.

To be an eligible applicant, proposals must be submitted by an individual artist or an artist collective that meets the following criteria:

•  Applicants must be EU residents or taxpayers in an EU member country or resi
  dents/taxpayers of one of these eligible non EU-countries
  • Be able to travel to the Residency Host Institution(s) for the residency and any required intensive programme activities.
• Have a fiscal identification number (VAT or similar).
• Not be affiliated with any of the EHIN consortium partners, their affiliated entities, employees or permanent collaborators.
• This open call is aimed at established artists, understood as those with an accredited professional artistic trajectory, sustained over time, and demonstrable experience in public exhibitions and artistic projects.
•  Not be under liquidation or be an enterprise under difficulty, or excluded from the possibility of obtaining EU funding under the provisions of both national and EU law.

Important note: Each Residency Host Institution may define additional or more specific requirements for its own residency, and these will be taken into account during the selection process. Please read the descriptions for each host institution attentively before applying.

Applications must be submitted via the online registration form, no later than 4 De
cember 2026 at midnight 23:59 CET.