CFAs: Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 (Netherlands)

Dutch (landscape) architects, spatial designers and researchers who have been invited to this international biennale can submit proposals for projects delivering a contribution to one of the main venues, such as the Arsenale or the Giardini’s national pavilions, or fringe venues accredited by the biennale such as at Palazzos or other institutes.

Goal

• With this open call, the Creative Industries Fund NL aims to present the excellent quality of Dutch architecture and urban planning at an international manifestation. Grants are awarded based on the Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme, through which the fund pursues the following objectives:
  • To promote the development of artistic quality in architecture
  • To stimulate research and experimentation
  • To support reflection and debate
  • To boost the international position of design disciplines
  • To strengthen international collaboration and exchange.

Theme

• With the theme ‘Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.’, the program seeks to explore the role of architecture within a broader range of disciplines, including art and science. The focus is on the built environment as a main contributor to climate change. The goal is to find intelligent and sustainable solutions, with architects in the role of ‘mutagens’ that stimulate new evolutionary processes. In the quest for a better future, experimentation and learning from mistakes is pivotal.

Funding Information

• Budget: €75,000
• Contributions per project: maximum €12,500

Eligibility Criteria

• The development grant will only be allocated to research or other projects that have been selected for the main exhibition or another official part of the Venice Architecture Biennale, such as:
  • Research that complements currently running or recently completed research
  • Speculative or artistic interventions based on an existing or currently running project
  • The design and exhibition of an existing or currently running research/project/experiment
  • Projects devoted to knowledge sharing, for instance a publication, manifestation, event or symposium.

Assessment Criteria

• Fully completed applications will be assessed internally by the fund based on the following conditional criteria:
  • Motivated invitation: The applicant must be in possession of a motivated invitation from a relevant international party and/or main or fringe curator. The invitation must pertain to an activity as described in this open call that is part of the applicant’s professional practice. The relevance of the invitation must be borne out by the extent to which the inviting party or the activity is significant for and in line with the applicant’s practice and the biennale’s official programme.
  • Financial contribution: The inviting party must cover a proportional part of the expenses that the applicant needs to make in order to realise the proposed project. The financial contribution may be used to cover working hour costs, travel and/or subsistence costs, and/or exhibition costs.
  • Contribution to professional practice and biennale: The application formulates how the goal and design of the international activity contribute to the applicant’s professional practice and to the project site and theme of the biennale. The significance must be explained in the application form where it requests a description of the project goal and of the activities to be carried out in order to accomplish this goal.

For more information, visit Creative Industries Fund NL.