Call for Applications: Participatory Art Initiatives

PartArt4OW is looking for interdisciplinary and intersectoral projects mixing art, science and participatory practices in innovative ways. PartArt4OW believes that collaborations between the creative and cultural sectors, the scientific community and the civic society organisations can lead to stronger projects, but this call is also open to individuals.

Goals

• They are looking for Participatory Art Initiatives (PAIs), whose overall goal will be to:
  • Increase citizens’ ocean literacy
  • Increase awareness on the challenges and pressures faced by the ocean and inland waters
  • Mobilise citizens and stakeholders for the protection and restoration of oceans and inland waters

Phases

• The accelerator program is structured into 3 phases:
  • Ideation and Conceptualization (1 month): Over a 1-month period, participants engage in 6 online group sessions, each lasting 2-3 hours. These sessions cover key topics such as Inclusivity and Diversity, Data and Ethics, Effective Communication, Scientific Communication, Sustainability, Impact and Art, Science Technology and Society (ASTS) collaboration ensuring alignment with PartArt4OW’s primary objectives. In addition to enhancing project knowledge, the sessions promote collaboration with other funded initiatives. This phase will support selected teams in finetuning their project idea and workplan.
  • Implementation (4 months): While the team develops and produce their PAI, they will also access the project partners’ extensive network, receive personalised mentoring (10 hours), and participate in sessions to enhance artistic, creative and scientific knowledge as well as capabilities for improved citizen participation, ensuring the projects’ long-term sustainability and impact.
  • Exhibition (1 month): The final phase involves presenting the project results at the PartArt4OW Demo Days in Barcelona in February 2026. This is a 2-day event which provides a high-profile platform to showcase work to a broad audience, including key stakeholders (such as scientific communication experts, policy makers, harbour managers, activists, etc), and featuring conferences, workshops, and debates. This phase helps increase the visibility of the PAIs, after execution at the local level.

Benefits

• Mentorship and training
• An intensive 3-day online bootcamp, providing learning and exchange opportunities on the PartArt4OW topics
• Guidance from experts on participatory and creative processes; on creative and innovative artistic expression, and on the conservation and protection of marine and freshwater ecosystems
• Networking and peer learning opportunities
• Promotion and visibility through PartArt4OW online channels, events and connection with related communities

Funding Information

• A maximum lump sum of €50,000 per project.
• Funding and support to deliver a 6 month project.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible to apply to the PartArt4OW open call, applicants must fulfil the following criteria:
  • All applicants must address the challenge of the Open Call.
  • They must propose a project that fits the PartArt4OW definition of participatory art, of ocean literacy and of the PAI.
  • Individuals, legal entities, and consortia may apply. For consortia, all applicants must be eligible. They must choose a lead who will submit the application and engage with PartArt4OW on their behalf. The lead is the only entity receiving the total requested budget and is responsible for the expenditure of the funds and the complete realisation of the proposed project.
  • Every entity is allowed to participate in only one application, either on its own or as part of a consortium.
  • Projects already funded by other international, national, local, or private funds cannot apply for funding for the same activities through PartArt4OW. Applicants must explicitly disclose any existing funding in their application and provide clear evidence that their proposed project activities are distinct and not subject to double funding. This ensures compliance with Horizon Europe financial regulations, which prohibits the same activity from receiving funding from multiple sources. Projects demonstrating complementarities between PartArt4OW funding and other sources are encouraged, provided they maintain transparency and accountability.
  • Applicants must be individuals or organisations established or resident in EU Member States or third countries in Europe that are associated or negotiating an association agreement with Horizon Europe.
  • All applications must be submitted with a signed Declaration of Honour.

Application Requirements

• Make sure to answer all questions and upload all relevant documents in PDF format. These documents are:
  • A short proposal. A copy of the application form is available and on the PartArt4OW Call page of the project website.
  • A dated and signed Declaration of Honour. A copy is available and on the PartArt4OW Call page of the project website. Please download the Declaration of Honour, add your name and surname, signature and date of signature and then upload as a Pdf on EasyChair.
  • All documents should be written in English.

For more information, visit European Commission.