Open Call Venice Architecture Biennale 2025

The Creative Industries Fund NL is calling on designers to submit a proposal for participation in the 19th edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale. With this open call, the Fund aims to present the excellent quality of Dutch architecture and urban planning at an international manifestation.

Read more about the goal and theme in the Open Call Venice Architecture Biennale 2025.

This open call is open to Dutch (landscape) architects, spatial designers and researchers who have been invited to the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025.

Grants can be applied for projects delivering a contribution to one of the main venues, such as the Arsenale or the Giardini’s national pavilions, or fringe venues accredited by the biennale such as at Palazzos or other institutes. Projects should fit within the theme ‘Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.’. This theme explores the role of architecture within a broader range of disciplines, including art and science. Chief curator Carlo Ratti focusses on the built environment as a main contributor to climate change. The goal is to find intelligent and sustainable solutions, with architects in the role of ‘mutagens’ that stimulate new evolutionary processes.

Go here to read Ratti’s curatorial statement.

The proposal can be submitted from 29 November 2024 until 31 January 2025 (5:00 PM CET). Please note: Grant applications will be considered in the order they were received. The grant scheme closes as soon as 6 applications have been accepted for funding.

In order to prepare the application, it is important to acquire the right information based on the following documents:

Open Call Venice Architecture Biennale 2025
Applications are assessed on the basis of the Open Call Venice Architecture Biennale 2025, which describes the reason and objective, central questions, criteria and procedure.

Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme
Applications are assessed on the basis of the Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme, which describes the general conditions, grounds for rejection, manner of publication, submission procedure, assessment, the award and any grant obligations.

Please note: When selected for the grant, the Fund will transfer 80% of the awarded sum as an advance payment. The remaining sum is paid out after the final determination of the
grant at the end of the grant period, unless a decision is taken to reduce the grant sum. This is a derogation from the grant award and determination procedure as described in the Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme. Article 4.g. from the grant scheme (the budget deficit does not exceed €10,000) also does not apply to this open call.

When the application complies with the formal requirements, it will be evaluated based on the following three criteria:

- You have a motivation letter from an international party or a main or fringe curator inviting you to contribute.
- The inviting party or curator will cover a proportional part of the expenses you need to make in order to realise the international activity.
- Your proposal explains how the goal and design of the activity will contribute to the biennale’s project site and theme.

Find an extensive overview of the criteria in the Open Call Venice Architecture Biennale 2025.

acceptence
Proposals can be submitted from 29 November 2024 until 31 January 2025 (5:00 PM CET). When you have submitted your application, the Fund will check if your application complies with the formal requirements of the Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme and with the criteria from the Open Call Venice Architecture Biennale 2025. Applications will be considered in the order they were received. The open call closes as soon as 6 applications have been accepted for funding, as we expect that this number of applications will exhaust the available budget of € 75,000.

assessment
The manner of assessment and subsequent advice to the Creative Industries Fund NL’s board on granting or rejecting the application is described in Article 9 of the Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme. The Fund will endeavour to meet a processing period of six weeks.

grant award procedure
When selected for the grant, the Fund will transfer 80% of the awarded sum as an advance payment. The remaining sum is paid out after the final determination of the grant at the end of the grant period, unless a decision is taken to reduce the grant sum. This is a derogation from the grant award and determination procedure as described in the Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme.

obligations
There are certain obligations attached to receiving a grant. These obligations are described in Section 5 of the Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme. In any case, the grant may only be used for activities that are described in the application. The applicant must immediately report any changes to the set-up and implementation of the trip or changed circumstances, if they affect the trip’s objective and set-up.

determination
The grant recipient must submit a request for the final determination of the grant via the application environment, using the accountability form, no later than sixteen weeks after the end of the grant period. If all activities have been performed according to plan and the grant conditions have been fulfilled, the board will issue the final determination of the grant within ten weeks. If activities have been partially or not performed, a lower grant amount may be determined. Additionally, the board may issue instructions regarding the verification of compliance with the grant conditions.

Open Call Venice Architecture Biennale 2025
Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme