ART & SCIENCE PROGRAMME
Share your art-science work with the public at HKW.
When science and art meet, they reveal worlds beyond disciplinary boundaries. By introducing a plurality of perspectives and layering systems of knowledge, the intersection of art and science generates insights that enrich and expand both scientific and artistic practice, opening new spaces for dialogue.
The Art & Science Programme is a curated selection of transdisciplinary works, performances, and events presented in our Festival Centre, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, from 6–8 November 2026. Open to researchers, artists, and art–science practitioners, the programme offers a unique opportunity to share your work with thousands of visitors at one of Germany’s most renowned cultural institutions.
In 2026, we’re looking for art–science works, projects, and events that engage with the festival theme, In Touch, through performative and experiential formats, exploring what happens when science touches our lives. We welcome applications from people at different stages of their practice, including those trying out new ideas or formats.
Bring your work to a wider audience by applying today. Applications close on 24 May.
YOUR WORK AT HAUS DER KULTUREN DER WELT
In 2026, Berlin Science Week’s Festival Centre will be at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), one of Germany’s most prestigious cultural institutions and a centre for contemporary arts, critical debate, and transdisciplinary inquiry. Over three days, more than 7,000 visitors will explore how science, culture, and society intersect.
Your work will be part of a programme defined by artistic experimentation, thoughtful debate, performance and interaction, offering a rare opportunity to connect with an engaged audience of curious Berliners, scientists, artists, technologists, and those whose work defies disciplinary boundaries.
In 2026, Berlin Science Week’s Festival Centre will be at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), one of Germany’s most prestigious cultural institutions and a centre for contemporary arts, critical debate, and transdisciplinary inquiry. Over three days, more than 7,000 visitors will explore how science, culture, and society intersect.
Your work will be part of a programme defined by artistic experimentation, thoughtful debate, performance and interaction, offering a rare opportunity to connect with an engaged audience of curious Berliners, scientists, artists, technologists, and those whose work defies disciplinary boundaries.
FESTIVAL THEME 2026: IN TOUCH
Science is not distant or exclusive; it is a deeply human practice that emerges through relationships between people, technologies, and environments. Woven into daily life and shaped by context, it has an intimate relationship with our bodies, identities, and societies.
With the 2026 theme In Touch, we invite applications to showcase art–science works or host events that explore how we experience this presence, its joys, and its tensions: how it feels, how it changes us, and how we respond to it. We are looking for works and projects that invite our audiences to sense, question, or reflect on their relationship with science.
The full curatorial statement can be found here.
Science is not distant or exclusive; it is a deeply human practice that emerges through relationships between people, technologies, and environments. Woven into daily life and shaped by context, it has an intimate relationship with our bodies, identities, and societies.
With the 2026 theme In Touch, we invite applications to showcase art–science works or host events that explore how we experience this presence, its joys, and its tensions: how it feels, how it changes us, and how we respond to it. We are looking for works and projects that invite our audiences to sense, question, or reflect on their relationship with science.
The full curatorial statement can be found here.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Whether you’re developing a new idea, adapting an existing project, or experimenting with a format, this programme is a space to share your work with others. We aim to present a diverse range of projects and approaches. Accepted works, projects, and events are included in the official festival programme, and their creators or host organisations are recognised as Programme Partners. As an Art & Science Programme Partner, you get:
- Visibility Where it Matters: Your events appear in the official Berlin Science Week programme (online and in print), reaching tens of thousands of Berliners and visitors who actively seek out science events.
- Your own Event Page: A dedicated page for your event(s) on our website.
- Branding & Promotion Tools: You’ll receive a Berlin Science Week media kit to help you promote your event across your own channels.
- Production Support & Technical supplies: Guidance and basic technical infrastructure, provided to help you realise your project in the Festival Centre.
- Access to our Community: An invitation to our Festival Centre Lunch on 6 November at HKW, where you’ll have the chance to meet and connect with fellow artists, researchers, cultural organisations, and science institutions shaping the festival programme.
Here you’ll find all questions from the application form and our selection criteria. All our key information is bundled in easy-to-download PDFs for you here.
Please note: the attached questions are only meant as support in preparing the information needed for the application, which can only officially take place via our dedicated platform.
OUR FORMATS
We offer a range of formats for presenting research, artistic practice, and inter- or transdisciplinary ideas. When applying to the Art & Science Programme with your project or event, you can select from the following options.
On Stage Formats
Public sessions designed for seated audiences, moderated conversations, and live presentations.
- Talk: A focused presentation on a specific topic. 1–2 speakers, 30 min incl. Q&A (optional)
- Panel Discussion: A moderated conversation offering multiple viewpoints on a topic, with the option to record it as a live podcast. 2–3 speakers, 1 moderator, 60 minutes incl. Q&A (optional)
- Performative Panel: A hybrid format combining discussion with artistic or performative elements (e.g. lecture performance). 2–3 speakers, 1 moderator, 60 minutes.
- Performance & Concert: A live artistic presentation such as music, sound performance, movement‑based work, or hybrid performative formats on stage. Solo or ensemble, 30–90 minutes
- Open Dialogue: Format offering a high level of interaction such as sessions that invite the audience into the conversation through guided exchange (e.g. fishbowl, world café, ...). 2–3 speakers, 1 moderator, 60 minutes.
- Workshop: Hands‑on sessions for smaller groups, designed for learning, making, or experimenting together. Min. 2 facilitators, 90 minutes.
- Wild Card: Have something else in mind? A slam, brunch, DJ set, meet‑up, film screening, listening session, quiz, game show? Bring it on.
Off Stage Formats
Immersive, interactive, or spatial experiences that unfold beyond the stage.
- Game & Quiz: Playful, interactive formats that use game mechanics to explore scientific or societal questions. Can take place several times.
- Performance & Intervention: Live artistic actions, durational pieces, or site‑responsive interventions in public or semi‑public space. Can take place several times.
- Installation: Spatial works that audiences can explore at their own pace. Presented for 3 days; min. 1 facilitator must be present throughout, 2 or more recommended.
- Exhibition Stand & DIY Station: Compact setups ideal for showcasing projects, prototypes, or research initiatives. Presented for 3 days; min. 1 facilitator must be present throughout, 2 or more recommended.
- Walks & Tours: Indoor or outdoor tours, including routes through the Tiergarten, that connect audiences with places, infrastructures, or research sites across the city. Can take place several times.
- Wild Card: Have something else in mind? Yoga, meditation, meet-up, DJ, live music, listening session, science running club, brunch, or something else entirely? Tell us.
Each format has a recommended duration (e.g., 30–90 minutes for performances, 60 minutes for panels, 90 minutes for workshops). If your concept requires a different length, you may propose it. We will assess feasibility during the selection process.
For 2026, we are particularly interested in formats that activate the spaces in HKW, as well as movement‑based routes that bring visitors from the city to HKW. We also welcome feasible interventions that create unexpected moments for visitors to pause, shift perspective, or move differently.
HOW IT WORKS
Start with the concept you want to explore and think of a format that will help you do so: a performance, workshop, talk, installation, experiment, walk, or hybrid format. Check our formats to see what’s possible and consider what audiences will experience and take away.
The proposal doesn’t need to be perfect, but it should be clear enough for us to understand what you want to do and how audiences will experience it.
Selection criteria for the Call for Participation 2026:
- Artistic & Scientific Quality
- Connection to the Festival Theme
- Audience Experience
- Feasibility
We especially welcome event proposals that bring underrepresented perspectives, experiment with format, or open dialogue across disciplines and communities.
A preview of all questions is available in the download section for both on-stage and off-stage formats.
Submit your proposal via our online platform, including your working title, format, event concept and structure, target group, and potential contributors (you can preview the questions beforehand in the Downloads section). These details help us understand your vision and how it fits the programme.
If shortlisted, you’ll join a 1‑hour production call between 15–26 June 2026 to discuss feasibility, logistics, and next steps.
If selected, congratulations — you’re in! We confirm your participation and begin the contracting process. Once the contract is signed, detailed planning can begin.
Submit all final information, including your cover photo, to our website by 17 July. We’ll review your event entry and may make small editorial adjustments before publication.
💬 Optional Support: Join our free online workshop to refine your title, polish your description, and ensure your event is communicated clearly and effectively.
The full programme goes live on 3 September, launching our citywide and digital campaign. To maximise your reach, please run your own communication efforts in parallel, as we cannot guarantee attendance levels for individual events. You’ll receive downloadable copy, social media assets, and logo guidelines to support your outreach. Please tag us @berlinscienceweek.
In the weeks before the festival, we’ll confirm all remaining production needs and schedules. From 6–8 November, the HKW comes alive, you’ll run your event and engage directly with our audiences. We recommend attending all three days, including the exclusive Festival Centre Event for contributors on 6 November, a key moment to meet fellow contributors and connect with the community.
FUNDING FOR APPLICANTS
We see access to and support for artistic practice and perspectives as integral to maintaining a healthy democratic culture. We recognise that many artists lack sufficient funding opportunities and want to ensure they still have a means to participate in our programme.
For this reason, selected applicants receive production support, basic technical infrastructure, and visibility as part of the official Berlin Science Week programme at Haus der Kulturen der Welt. Depending on your organisational context, partial financial support (honoraria) may also be available.
Please note: This is a presentation and visibility opportunity with partial financial support, not a full production or development grant. For many, the programme works best as a platform to present existing work, test new ideas, or share research in a public setting.
Individuals, Collectives & Small organisations without institutional support or financing can present their work at HKW without a participation fee. We provide production support as well as standard technical equipment. Honoraria are available, based on the maximum amounts listed in the FAQs.
Mid‑Size Organisations can present their work at HKW without a participation fee. We provide production support as well as standard technical equipment. Honoraria are not available.
We are unable to offer funding support for institutions, and the standard participation fee applies. Through this contribution, institutions directly support our ability to prioritise funding for smaller initiatives and individuals, helping us amplify underrepresented voices who might otherwise not have access to this kind of opportunity.
We are generally not able to cover travel and accommodation. In some cases, limited support may be possible, depending on individual circumstances and available resources.
Not sure which category you belong to? Send us a message at info@berlinscienceweek.com.
FAQs
Eligibility & Application
The Art & Science Programme is open to individuals, collectives, small and mid-size organisations, and institutions working at the intersection of art, science, and technology. We welcome researchers, artists, designers, technologists, and practitioners whose work expands or challenges disciplinary boundaries. Applications are open internationally.
You are welcome to apply with a project or event concept that is still in development. What matters is that your idea, structure, and key contributors are clear enough for us to understand what you want to do: your proposal does not need to be perfect or fully finalised.
Collaborative projects are also welcome. You must designate one main contact person who will coordinate communication, planning, and logistics with the Berlin Science Week team. All collaborators must be informed of their responsibilities before the festival.
Your application should give us a clear understanding of your idea and how audiences will experience it. You’ll be asked to provide:
- A working title
- Your chosen format (e.g. performance, workshop, installation)
- A short description of your concept and structure
- The target audience for your event
- Any contributors (confirmed or tentative)
Final contributors, including artists, performers, speakers, facilitators, and moderators, must be confirmed before end of June.
All application questions are available in the Downloads section of this page.
Events are chosen through a curated open call. Selection is based on:
- Artistic & Scientific Quality
- Connection to the Festival Theme
- Audience Experience
- Feasibility
You can find more information in the PDF in the downloads section.
We especially welcome event proposals that bring underrepresented perspectives or experiment with format.
Your project does not need to be a premiere. We prefer new event proposals: new formats, adaptations, or ways of presenting your work in response to our 2026 theme In Touch. We also prioritise proposals not previously shown in Berlin.
Existing projects are welcome as long as the event you propose for Berlin Science Week is well‑developed and fits the programme’s curatorial direction.
Click the Apply Now button to enter our online platform. Please create an account first. Once you’re logged in, follow this path to reach the application form:
Berlin Science Week | Call for Participation 2026 → Apply for the Art & Science Programme
Our 2026 timeline is as follows:
- 21 April–24 May: Application period
- 15–26 June: Production calls for shortlisted projects
- Early July: Final selection and contracting
- 17 July: Deadline for all final event information
- 3 September: Programme goes live
- 6–8 November: Festival Centre at HKW
After the application deadline, all applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a 1‑hour production call between 15–26 June 2026 to discuss feasibility, logistics, and next steps.
Following the production call period, you will receive an email confirming whether your proposal has been selected or not. Selected applicants will receive next steps and contracting information.
Please note that, due to the high number of submissions, we cannot provide individual feedback on unsuccessful proposals. Minor adjustments to the timeline may occur as we move through the production process.
We can provide an official invitation letter confirming your participation in the festival. However, we cannot intervene in visa processes or guarantee visa approval.
Funding & Fees
Funding depends on the organisational size and resources of the applicant. We work with predefined maximum honoraria per format, based on the Berlin Senate’s recommended minimum fees for artistic work. These amounts serve as upper limits to help applicants request a realistic amount for their event.
Honoraria are for individuals, collectives, and small organisations without institutional support. Institutions are not eligible for honoraria and pay the standard participation fee. Funding supports the realisation and presentation of your contribution during the festival. It is not intended to cover full project development or production.
Berlin Science Week offers honoraria based on format, aligned with the Berlin Senate’s recommended minimum fees for artistic work. The amounts below indicate the maximum we can offer per contribution. We aim to support as many contributions as possible. The final amount depends on the number of selected projects and the overall budget.
We encourage you to request only what is essential for your format. This helps us support a wider range of contributors.
Support for additional technical needs may be considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on feasibility and budget.
On Stage Formats (per contribution)
- Talk: up to 400 €
- Panel Discussion: up to 1,200 €
- Performative Panel: up to 1,200 €
- Performance & Concert : up to 3,000 €
- Open Dialogue: up to 1,200 €
- Workshop: up to 1,000 €
- Wild Card: up to 1,200 €
Off Stage Formats (per contribution)
- Game & Quiz: up to 400 €
- Performance & Intervention: up to 2,000 €
- Installation: up to 1,500 €
- Exhibition Stand & DIY Station: up to 1,500 €
- Walks & Tours: up to 400 €
- Wild Card: up to 1,200 €
A contribution refers to one event format; multiple sessions count as one contribution.
In exceptional cases, we may consider support beyond the stated maximums where quality and complexity clearly justify it.
We’re not usually able to cover travel and accommodation, so we prioritise supporting participation and production, ensuring that smaller initiatives and individual artists receive the funding they need.
In some cases, we may be able to offer limited support for travel and accommodation, depending on individual circumstances and available resources. You will be able to address this need in your application form.
Institutions pay the standard participation fee. The exact amount depends on the event format and is listed in our Festival Centre Exposé. Please refer to that page for the current fee structure and details.
Production & Logistics
You can indicate preferences in your application, but final scheduling and space allocation are determined by the Berlin Science Week team. We curate the programme to ensure a coherent flow across all events and spaces at HKW.
Selected contributors receive production support and access to standard technical equipment, including basic lighting, microphones, sound, projection, and standard furniture as well as guidance to help you realise your project within the festival setting. Additional or specialised equipment can be discussed during the production call but may not always be possible due to spatial or technical constraints at HKW.
Spatial and technical conditions vary by room. Some spaces have limited blackout options, sound restrictions, or weight/height limits for installations. Final feasibility will be assessed during the production call. If your project requires specific spatial conditions (e.g., darkness, open floor space, high ceilings, outdoor access), please indicate this clearly in your application.
Production support includes coordination with our production team, access to standard technical equipment, and on‑site assistance during your event. It does not include fabrication, materials, transport, custom builds, or specialised technical setups unless explicitly agreed during the production call.
We recommend attending all three days to engage with audiences and connect with the community, but only your presence during your own event is mandatory.
If you are presenting an installation, exhibition stand, or DIY station, a facilitator must be present throughout all three days.
As part of our community‑building efforts, we will also host a Festival Centre Networking Event for contributors on 6 November at the Festival Centre: a relaxed networking afternoon for everyone involved in the programme.
Communication & Promotion
We promote Berlin Science Week as a whole and cannot guarantee individual promotion for each event. A curated selection of programme highlights is featured across our channels. To support your own outreach, you are encouraged to use the official media kit and promote your event independently.
By registering your event, you agree to include Berlin Science Week in all communication related to your activity. If you create flyers, posters, or other promotional materials, please make sure to include our logo.
Documentation (photography and videography) is not guaranteed. We recommend planning your own documentation unless otherwise arranged during production planning. You may document your event, provided you respect audience privacy and comply with HKW’s filming guidelines. Please inform the production team in advance.
Be the first to hear about what’s next.
Our programmes fill quickly, and opportunities open only once a year. Subscribe to our partner mailing list to receive early notifications about the Call for Participation, opportunities to present your work, and other initiatives from the Falling Walls Foundation. Stay ahead of deadlines and discover new ways to get involved.
Our partner mailing list is delivered on a bi-weekly basis throughout the spring of each year. You can unsubscribe at any time. The Falling Walls Foundation gGmbH privacy policy applies.
THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDER
The Berlin Science Week Art & Science Programme is made possible by the Berlin Senate Department for Higher Education and Research, Health and Long-Term Care, which has supported Berlin Science Week for over 10 years. Through their generous funding, we are able to support a range of activities within the programme, including waiving participation fees and providing honoraria to selected applicants of the Art & Science Programme.
Art & Science Programme 2026