10 October 2022
Culture Moves Europe: First Call for Applications officially launched

Culture Moves Europe, the new European cultural mobility scheme, opens for applications today. It will offer travel grants to artists, creators and cultural professionals to pursue an international project with a destination, duration, as well as project partners of their own choice.

Culture Moves Europe Launch Event

Culture Moves Europe is the new, full-scale mobility scheme funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union and implemented by the Goethe-Institut. Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, will officially launch the scheme during a hybrid event taking place at La Bellone cultural centre in Brussels as well as online this afternoon. She will be accompanied by Sabine Verheyen, Member of the European Parliament and Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education, Johannes Ebert, Secretary General of the Goethe-Institut, and other representatives of the European Institutions and the Cultural and Creative Sectors.

Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, says: “With Culture Moves Europe, the Commission paves the way for the future of the cultural and creative sectors. And it offers enhanced opportunities for emerging artists and cultural professionals to gear up their skills and their ties with European partners. It acknowledges how mobility exchanges shape our present and influences the future of our intertwined communities. It bridges mobility with sustainability and inclusion, as promoted by the European Green Deal.”

Who can apply for a mobility grant?

Culture Moves Europe is composed of two action lines: “Individual mobilities” for individuals and groups of up to five persons, and residencies for host organisations. The newly launched call for individual mobilities is aimed at the sectors of music, literary translation, architecture, cultural heritage, design and fashion design, visual arts and performing arts.

Artists and cultural professionals legally residing in a Creative Europe country are eligible to apply. These include the 27 EU-member states, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Kosovo¹, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia and Ukraine. Armenia is currently in negotiations to join Creative Europe. Though the scheme is designed to enable physical mobility across Europe and beyond, applicants who legally reside in Ukraine will exceptionally have the option to apply for a virtual mobility.

Towards an inclusive and sustainable mobility scheme

The rolling call for individual mobilities will be open until 31 May 2023. To ensure high flexibility for artists and cultural professionals, applications will be reviewed on a monthly basis during that period. Accessibility and inclusivity are core values in the implementation of Culture Moves Europe: The scheme aims to actively work towards gender and geographical balance amongst its grantees. It will address artists previously underrepresented in cultural mobility schemes, including from remote and rural areas, Overseas Countries and Territories and Outermost regions of the European Union. Special support will be granted to persons living with disabilities and those taking care of children, as well as for visa fees. Moreover, particular attention will be given to emerging creators.

Culture Moves Europe is equally committed to sustainability and environmental responsibility. Air travel will not be supported below a distance of 600km and where possible, green travel solutions are very much encouraged e.g. through financial top-ups. Next to the general relevance and degree of preparation of applicants’ projects, sustainability also plays an important role in the evaluation of applications. With its heightened attention to sustainability and inclusivity as well as its focus on emerging artists, Culture Moves Europe promises to take a lead in forging innovative ways forward for the cultural mobility sector.

Johannes Ebert, Secretary General of the Goethe-Institut, underlines the importance of Culture Moves Europe especially in challenging times: "With Culture Moves Europe, the European Commission is launching a major mobility scheme for cultural professionals in Europe. I see it as a great honour that the Goethe-Institut has the opportunity to implement it: After all, comparable programs have contributed significantly to developing a sense of community in Europe since the Second World War. Today, in the face of resurging nationalism, this issues has again become central. The fact that the EU is increasingly focusing on artists strengthens open exchange and debate and ultimately promotes freedom. This is also what the Goethe-Institut stands for, and this is why we are happy to contribute to the success of the project with our network throughout Europe."

¹ This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.