APPLY FOR A STAY AT THE DANISH INSTITUTE

Application deadline

Deadline for applications is 28 September 2025.

The institute has two fixed application deadlines:

• 10 February for applications regarding autumn (1 September – 31 January)
• 10 September for applications regarding spring (1 February – 31 July). In 2025 this deadline has been postponed until 28 September.

The application must be submitted to: info@diathens.gr

Answers to applications for autumn can normally be expected at the end of May, while answers to applications for spring can be expected at the end of November. The allocation of residences and scholarships is made by the Board of the Danish Institute at Athens.

What can you apply for?

Residency can be applied for by researchers, students, artists, writers and architects, others with a project within the archaeology, history, language, literature, visual arts, architecture and cultural traditions of Greece and the Mediterranean countries. There are several types of stays that cater to different groups.

• Researchers, architects, secondary school teachers, and others with a fixed income can apply for a stay of 1-2 months . You pay an amount to cover part of the costs. See prices here.
• Writers, artists, students and others without a fixed income can apply for free residence for 1-2 months. Free residencies at DIA is supported by the New Carlsberg Foundation.

All applicants must submit their own application. If you wish to stay together with other applicants, this must be stated in the application. Indicate at the same time whether individual rooms are desired or whether a room can be shared. You can apply to have a partner or other guest with you. It costs around DKK 75 per day or about DKK 1000 per month. See prices here.

Please note that applicants who wish to bring children can only apply for guest apartment M1, 1. It must be specifically stated in the application that you wish to bring children.

Selection criteria

The submitted projects are assessed especially on the basis of the submitted project description. It is also important that the formal requirements for the application are met. See the instructions below for details.

Application online

The application is completed and submitted via the application portal and consists partly of questions to be answered, partly of a project description, CV and )for artists) a list of works to be uploaded via the portal. Follow the link.

You will be asked to answer questions about, among other things,

• Your employment and income. We use this to assess, among other things, whether you should be granted free stay or stay with self-payment.
• The length of the requested stay, and whether there are times within the application period when you will not be able to receive a possible stay. Please note that stays generally have a duration of 1-2 months and we expect flexibility in terms of dates. If you are applying for a shorter stay and / or specific dates, you can indicate this, in which case you will be asked to give a specific reason for the request.
• The project's relationship to Greece and or the Mediterranean area. Here you can briefly state the local anchoring of the project, preferably with information about the necessity for the project to be carried out in Athens. This could be collaboration partners, use of research resources, libraries, museums, sites or other locations.
• The expected outcome of the project, e.g. a research article, an exhibition, art work etc. We ask this to ensure that your stay benefits as many people as possible.
• Practical information, including whether you are applying with others and whether you expect to be visited by a guest. It is possible to arrange visits later in the process, so the answer is not binding.
• References: You will be asked to provide two references with their names and emails, whom we will be able to contact for the purpose of a professional evaluation of the application.
  

The project description

Residencies at the Danish Institute in Athens are primarily granted on the basis of the submitted project description. The project description must be no more than 1 page (unless you are applying for the artist in residence programme, see more below). The overall criteria for granting residency are the quality of the outlined project as well as its relation to the archaeology, history, language, literature, visual arts, architecture and/or cultural traditions of Greece and the Mediterranean countries. High professional quality is prioritized both for scientific and artistic projects. In particular for artistic projects, weight is also given to projects which have a clearly defined exhibition and/or communication strategy. For all projects, special emphasis is placed on the need for the project to be carried out in Athens/Greece.

When you write your project description, you must therefore pay attention to the following:

• Is the project clearly defined?
• Is the project well prepared? For instance, have you made contact with persons/institutions in Greece? Have you considered how the language barrier can be overcome
• Are the expected results (e.g. publications, exhibitions, concerts) clearly described?
• Is the applicant qualified to carry out the project in question?

Artist in residence

In spring 2026 we will not be able to offer the 3-months residency. We encourage instead that you apply for one of our 1-2 months stays.

Did you miss the application deadline, or do you have a spontaneous need for a stay in Athens? It is always possible to contact the Institute's booking manager, Kirsten Sørensen to find out if there should be a room available. We normally do not grant stays of less than a week's duration. See prices here. Reference is also made to the possibility of applying for a scholarship at the Danish Academy at Rome.

Apply for a residency by following the link. More information about the application can be found below. Applications must be submitted by 28 September.

Apply here