APPLY FOR A STAY AT THE DANISH INSTITUTE

Application deadline

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).

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.

We encourage applicants to read the following guidelines carefully.

Formal requirements

The Danish Institute at Athens supports scholarly and artistic connections between Denmark and Greece. Applicants must therefore have a strong connection to Denmark and apply with a project related to Greek history, archeology, art or literature.

Many applications are rejected because they do not meet the formal requirements. Therefore, be sure that they are fulfilled. The application consists of an application form and attachments in the form of a project description and a CV / list of works. Make sure you have all documents ready. Collect the application form and all attachments in a single PDF file and send it by email. (If you cannot merge multiple PDF files into one, there are several free programs to do this on the internet).

Submit before the deadline. Late submissions will not be considered.

The application form

Download the application form by clicking HERE. Follow the instructions to save it: The application form must be downloaded to your computer before you fill it out. Right-click on the form and select "save as". (If you experience problems filling in and saving, it may be because you need to have updated your PDF reader). Please do not submit a scanned version!

Fill in all the fields in the application form. We need them. Search only within the posted period (spring-summer or autumn-winter). Specify alternative dates. It increases the chances of a stay if you spread them over the entire period. If you are interested in more than one type of stay, tick them all off. (If, for example, you would prefer to have a free stay, but would also be interested in a paying in case we cannot grant you a free stay, tick both boxes.)

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 2024, the Danish Institute in Athens has for the first time announced a three-month residency for an artist with a strong connection to Denmark for the spring of 2025. The objective of the announcement is to support a project that relates to Greek contemporary art or aspects of Greek art, history of literature or philosophy. The purpose of the residency program is to provide the opportunity for a longer and more in-depth exchange than the usual work stays. Therefore, the project should not be too narrowly defined or advanced, but should be in a phase where it is possible to use the knowledge and experiences gained during the stay.

The project description must be approx. 2 pages and contain a realistic work plan as well as a communication strategy for the project. The applicant should describe what they want to research, how they want to approach the topic and how they plan on integrating this research into a future work. It is a requirement that you carry out two activities during the stay, e.g. an artist talk, a lecture, a performance, a workshop, an exhibition or the like.

When evaluating incoming proposals, we attach importance to local anchoring, for example through dialogue and exchange with Greek contemporary artists or site-specific studies. For projects that relate to aspects of Greek antiquity, we value projects that show the future resident's desire to expand their knowledge of the ancient Greek world through dialogue with the Institute's researchers and the research environment in Athens.

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.