Ars Biologica ArtXScience Residency Open Call

09. July 2026

With the Ars Biologica ArtXScience Residency Open Call, České Budějovice ECoC 2028 and Ars Electronica invites artists, designers, creatives, and artist collectives to apply for a fully funded program designed for direct collaboration with local scientists. The aim is to explore how art and science can collaborate to address urgent environmental challenges, with a special focus on climate emergence, sustainable agriculture, geoengineering, permaculture, water resource management, and the broader ecological impacts on local communities. The open call is online from July to late September.

Practical information

Format: ArtXScience Residency
When: January 2027 – April 2028. The program combines remote work with several residency stays in České Budějovice (see details).
Location: České Budějovice / Czech Republic
Language: English (the entire program and application process are conducted in English)
OPEN CALL: Until 28 September 2026
Notification of applicants: During November 2026

About the residency

Ars Biologica is a living laboratory for shared ecological futures – an experimental space where art and science meet to explore ways of caring for the worlds we live in. 

 

The ArtXScience residency is one part of the Ars Biologica project, a key pillar of České Budějovice  – European Capital of Culture 2028. The aim is to explore how art and science can collaborate to address urgent environmental challenges, with a special focus on climate emergence, sustainable agriculture, geoengineering, permaculture, water resource management, and the broader ecological impacts on local communities. 

 

České Budějovice ECoC 2028 and Ars Electronica invites artists, designers, creatives, and artist collectives to apply for a fully funded program designed for direct collaboration with local scientists. The two residency positions offer opportunities to integrate scientific research into new or ongoing artistic practices, culminating in a public presentation through the collaboration with Ars Electronica and other partners.

What are we calling for? 

We are looking for artistic proposals for (1) a spatial ArtXScience artwork that goes beyond screen-based explorations and (2) public engagement formats involving the local community connected to the artwork. The final artistic outcome will be presented in the Ars Biologica Festival in spring 2028. 

Science Partner 

The Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences is the main science partner for the residency 2027. We will dive into the worlds of microorganisms in soils and water bodies. Although invisible to the naked eye, they help keep water clean, soil healthy and maintain the balance of ecosystems. To ensure that future generations can continue to live in and sustain themselves from healthy environments, we must better understand and care for the waters and soils on which we depend. The following two institutes guide the two the scientific directions. 

  1. The first scientific direction with the Institute of Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry is led by Dr. Anne Daebeler, head of the Microbes CaN Cycle Lab and Dr. Magda Wutkowska, postdoctoral fellow in the same lab. As microbial ecologists, Anne and Magda research beings that virtually live everywhere, but can not be seen by the human eye – microorganisms. They critically influence all life forms, they control health, growth, and the air we breathe. Humans interact with them every second.

    Anne’s work focuses on the impact of microorganisms on global change and vice versa. She analyses how these invisible, omnipresent organisms accelerate and decelerate one of the largest crises we face today. Magda's scientific interests focus on microbial processes that regulate greenhouse gas emissions, such as methane oxidation. She investigates these processes in diverse ecosystems, for example, in fishponds, which are among the key landscape features in South Bohemia.

  2. The second scientific direction with the Department of Aquatic Microbial Ecology at the Institute of Hydrobiology is led by Dr. Tanja Shabarova, Dr. Cecilia Chiriac, and Dr. Kiran Dindhoria. Their research focuses on microscopic organisms that inhabit freshwater ecosystems. Although often overlooked, these organisms help maintain water quality and sustain the ecological balance of the fishponds, rivers, and reservoirs – the freshwater environments that people in Czechia have shaped for centuries to provide food and water, flood protection, and recreation. Today, climate change and human activities, including intensive land use and insufficient wastewater treatment, are disrupting these ecosystems and promoting harmful microorganisms that threaten water quality, wildlife, and human health.
    Through this project, Tanja, Cecilia, and Kiran will introduce artists to the hidden life beneath the water's surface and the changes affecting aquatic ecosystems. By sharing scientific insights, they aim to inspire artworks that spark curiosity, encourage dialogue, and offer new perspectives on the waters around us.

About the Residency 

Phases

1. Kick-off meeting online and in person on-boarding meeting in České Budějovice, Early 2027(Jan-Feb)

The goal is to introduce the program, meet all residency members, get to know the city, facilities and infrastructure, co-design the collaboration framework between all parties involved (artist, scientist, local stakeholder, České Budějovice 2028 team, Ars Electronica) and brainstorm possible directions.

2. Online and on-site exchange meetings, Mid 2027 (Mar-Oct)

The goal is to continue the exchange remotely, start to develop the outcome and work on the community engagement aspect. 

This part will be closed with a written proposal (deadline Oct/Nov 2027) including updated description of outcome, a production outline, budget details, production tasks and tech rider. 

3. Artwork production, Early 2028

The goal is to produce the artwork, adjust the concept in case of feasibility challenges and develop maintenance manuals, etc

4. Ars Biologica Festival, Spring 2028

The goal is to install the work, open the exhibition, host one more public engagement activity, document the work and deinstall it at the end.

Commitment

The selected artist(s) will be expected to

  • be present:
    • First stay up to 1 month in February/March 2027
    • Optional second stay up to 1 month in August/September 2027
    • Third stay up to 1 month in March 2028 for Ars Biologica Festival (install, run of exhibition and de-install and 5-10 day festival tbc) 
    • more time in České Budějovice is possible. 
  • engage in remote and on-site exchange with the scientists, Ars Biologica and Ars Electronica team.
  • develop and produce artwork for the Ars Biologica Festival 2028 with a public engagement activity in 2027 and 2028. 
  • share updates on social media and provide České Budějovice 2028 with images of the residency process.

Residency Benefits

24 000 EUR in total funding:

  • 6 000 EUR Artist Fee
  • Up to 15 000 EUR Production Budget (proposal required)
  • Up to 3 000 EUR for transportation, travel, accommodation, and subsistence (required travels are 2-5 trips to České Budějovice; 2 trips to Ars Electronica; accommodation for one month stay in České Budějovice is covered by separate budget) 

Exchange with leading experts in climate-resilient agriculture and scientific communication.

Project development and production support from Ars Biologica and Ars Electronica team.

International exposure through the Ars Biologica Festival including an exhibition. 

Video and photo documentation of public engagement activities and the artwork at the Ars Biologica Festival 2028. 

Possible engagement with Ars Electronica Festival.

Eligible Artists: 

Artists with prior experience in interdisciplinary collaborations, ArtXScience productions and community engagement.

The applicant should have produced enough documented work to allow the assessment of their artistic portfolio. They must have more than 5 years of professional creative practice. 

The ideal candidate will show a deep interest in collaborating with scientists involved and being part of a team that will jointly work on the co-production of a new artistic output.

The applicants must be 18 years old or older and can be of all nationalities, but must be eligible to work and travel in the EU.

Criteria:

The jury will evaluate the proposals based on:

  • Originality: The proposed concept must demonstrate fresh ideas for ArtXScience collaborations involving the general public.
  • Local Community Impact: The concept should show interest in the Ars Biologica program and its scientific partner’s activities.
  • Quality of Portfolio: A strong body of past work that showcases the artistic vision, previous experience in working with communities as well as in science collaborations.
  • Eligibility and Feasibility: The eligibility criteria need to be fulfilled and the proposed concept must be achievable within the given timeframe and budget.

Jury Members: 

  • České Budějovice ECoC 2028 Team Member: Anna Hořejší, Creative Director
  • Biology Center CAS Institute of Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry Team Member: Dr. Anne Daebeler, Head of the Microbes CaN Cycle Lab
  • Biology Center CAS Institute of Hydrobiology Team Member: Dr. Tanja Shabarova, Research Scientist - Department of Aquatic Microbial Ecology (AME) 
  • Uroboros ABIS Program Team Member: Markéta Dolejšová, ABIS Curator 
  • Ars Electronica Team Member: Laura Welzenbach, Head of Ars Electronica Export

Application Requirements 

Submit your application here

Round 1: Online Application in English:

  • Project title
  • Project description: A written proposal outlining the artistic concept and research idea. (250 words max)
  • Scientific direction: What science direction would you like to work with, how and why? (100 words max)
  • Artistic vision: The proposal outlines a clear and credible artistic process leading to a presentable outcome - aesthetic, performative, activist, prototype, intermedia, or otherwise - that meaningfully addresses the residency's challenge by its conclusion. (100 words max)
  • Community connection: How will you work with the local community and how can they become part of your work/outcome/research? (100 words max)
  • Super short pitch: Why would the local community like your project? (3-30 words max)
  • Link (and password if needed) to visual support material for the application. (3-7 images recommended)
  • Optional link (and password if needed) to a max 1-minute informal video statement introducing the applicant and their proposal (we are serious about the 1 minute max. length).
  • Personal contact information, link to website and portfolio.
  • Applicants must agree to the Open Call Rights

Round 2: Interview 

3-5 artists will be invited to a call with the scientist of their chosen science direction and the Ars Electronica team member. Some questions will be sent ahead of the meeting. In the call the questions can be addressed and synergies between the scientist and artist can be explored.

IP & Credits

IP of artwork remains with the artist, but the artist must communicate project credits. Short credit line: This project was developed in the framework of the Ars Biologica project enabled by České Budějovice – European Capital of Culture 2028 in partnership with Ars Electronica and Biology Center CAS.

Community outcome: CC BY-ND. The license enables reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use.  

Deadline: Applications must be submitted via our online platform by September 28, 2026 midnight CET.

The two winners will be notified by November 2026.

FAQ

In case of any questions please contact Zita Čechová, České Budějovice ECoC 2028 zita.cechova@budejovice2028.cz 

We look forward to seeing your proposals that explore the dynamic intersection of art, science, and climate resilience!