HIAP Learning Materials 2027: €4,050 for International Media and Bioart Artists, 26 October Deadline
International artists outside Finland: a 90-day research stay
HIAP Helsinki International Artist Programme has opened a dedicated Learning Materials International Artist in Residence call for 2027. The programme seeks established arts practitioners who live and work outside Finland, and supports material-based, socially engaged artistic research at HIAP Suomenlinna in Helsinki. Two artists will be selected to spend 90 days each in the spring or autumn. This international call is separate from the Learning Materials twelve-month fellowship aimed only at Finland-based artists. Applicants should choose the correct form and not confuse their residence country with the physical location of the proposed Helsinki studio.
The two periods: April to July or August to November
The spring residency runs from 12 April to 11 July 2027; the autumn period from 16 August to 14 November 2027. Each residency covers 90 days. HIAP provides a furnished accommodation apartment at Suomenlinna, approximately 30 square metres, and a separate shared working space. The building provides community and exhibition/project rooms, an equipment room and a wood workshop, and some projectors and sound systems can be borrowed. This arrangement is suitable for research, prototypes and experimental work, but it is not an offer of unlimited fabrication, scientific laboratory access or a fully equipped private media production suite.
What you receive: €4,050 working grant and distinct project budgets
Kone Foundation provides a working grant of €1,350 per month for three months, or €4,050 in total. HIAP provides a materials budget of up to €750 and an accessibility budget of up to €1,000 for artists with qualifying access needs. These are designated project and accessibility supports rather than extra automatic personal compensation. The organiser pays for one return journey from the artist's home and makes accommodation and workspace available, and indicates support for eligible visa-application costs. It does not promise that an immigration authority will approve a visa or that all incidental living costs, family travel or studio equipment purchases will be paid.
Which practices fit the Learning Materials theme
The programme asks what more responsible relationships with materials might look like amid resource extraction, ecological crisis and technology-led change. It invites socially engaged, process-led and material-driven research: for example bioart, biomaterials, ecology, interactive media based on material systems, sustainable design, craft, community-led inquiry and appropriate cross-disciplinary artistic work. This is not restricted to conventional digital art, and a wholly screen-based project disconnected from materials and social contexts may be a weak match. The organiser specifically asks applicants to demonstrate an existing, sustained commitment to such work, rather than treating the funded residency as their first introduction to the theme.
Online application by Monday 26 October at 15:00 GMT+2
The official HIAP deadline is 26 October 2026 at 3:00 p.m. GMT+2. Applications must be lodged through the online form, in English; emailed proposals are not considered. Prepare an outline of your professional background and biography, a motivation statement relating to the Learning Materials questions, and a work plan, each of up to 250 words or two minutes. Provide an external portfolio link containing no more than ten pages or five minutes of work samples. The material must be accessible without a password. Written, audio and video responses are permitted, but any filmed or recorded answers must be continuous, unedited takes without soundtrack, filter effects or spliced clips. Always trust the live HIAP application form for any updates.
Research without a mandatory finished artwork
The residency focuses on open-ended research and experimentation rather than forcing a final product. Participants work alongside the Finland-based Learning Materials fellows and gain access to contacts, workshops and expertise from the project partners. HIAP's broader residency activities include introductions to local artists, project discussions, excursions and Open Studios where residents can share work in progress. Applicants should still propose plausible research activities and indicate how they intend to exchange knowledge with artistic and local communities; a finished gallery installation is not compulsory, but openness to collaboration and public conversation matters.
Organiser record and the collaborating institutions
HIAP has provided residencies for international artists in Helsinki since 1998. The Learning Materials project brings together Bioart Society, HIAP, Koynẽ Program and TUO TUO alongside organisations including FIBRA, LABVA, Scottish Sculpture Workshop and SWAMP, with financial support from Kone Foundation. Bioart Society researches the relationships of art and life sciences, while the other partners contribute material experimentation, community networks and publishing. The partner list, open calls, residency policies and contact details are publicly available through HIAP and Bioart Society, allowing applicants to check who administers the programme.
International practicalities and the distinct domestic fellowship
Applicants from outside Finland should budget for everyday expenses not specifically itemised as support and read the Kone Foundation guidance on taxation, insurance and social security. A collective does not receive multiple working grants by adding members; HIAP says the monthly €1,350 working grant can be paid to one individual only, and group participation does not create a larger travel grant. Family members may be possible within HIAP's small apartments under published restrictions. Finally, Finland-based applicants should apply instead for the twelve-month fellowship, which has different residency dates, responsibilities, working grant amount and application form despite sharing the same overall Learning Materials theme.
Original call and official application
This article provides a summary. To avoid misunderstandings, please be sure to check the official page for full details.
Information checked on 19 October 2026.
Other independently organised digital art calls
Aion Digital Art Award is a separate competition run by Aion Laboratory. It is not administered by HIAP and has no role in the selection or funding for Learning Materials.