Our Offices & Partners Abroad

Residencies of the liaison offices

Residencies and research trips >

Next application deadline:

1 March 2024

submissions possible from January 2024 via

myprohelvetia.ch

Any questions about your application?

You will find the most important answers here:

Contact

Gabriela Mighali
Global Encounters and Initiatives Specialist

Contact

Pro Helvetia offers residencies in Switzerland and in the regions of the liaison offices. Swiss cultural practitioners and cultural professionals from the regions of the liaison offices (Arab region, China, Russia, South America, South Asia, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa) may apply.

Residencies for cultural practitioners from Switzerland

Cultural practitioners from Switzerland may apply for residencies in the countries listed below via myprohelvetia.ch. Residencies are limited to a maximum duration of three months. Applications may be submitted once a year:

  • Application deadline: 1 March
  • Decision timeline: within four months of the application deadline

Applications must be submitted in English. A list of possible residency partners can be found on the websites of Pro Helvetia’s liaison offices (see below).

Cultural practitioners from Switzerland may apply simultaneously for residencies in the regions covered by one of Pro Helvetia’s liaison offices, New York and Venice. Separate applications for each destination must be submitted. However, a maximum of one application per person will be approved within the framework of one call for applications.

Residencies serve to gain inspiration, to establish networks and to start thinking about projects. Pro Helvetia offers accommodation, travel costs, a daily allowance, professional mentoring, a workplace (on request) and a contribution to production/material costs (on request).

Additionally, parents can apply for financial support of CHF 1,000 per month at most to co-finance childcare or to bring their children and possibly a caregiver. The applicant is asked to provide an approximate budget for all expenses in advance.

Selection criteria

  • Convincing track record: artistic activity with a national/cross-regional reach
  • Motivation regarding the chosen context
  • Sufficient knowledge of the respective foreign language(s)
  • Concrete exchange project with a lasting impact
  • Eligible are cultural practitioners from the following disciplines: architecture, performing arts, design, interactive media, literature, music, visual arts

Possible destinations

Arab region

  • Egypt
  • Algeria
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Morocco
  • Palestine
  • Tunisia
  • United Arab Emirates

China 

  • Mainland China
  • Hong Kong

Russia*

*For residencies of cultural practitioners from Switzerland to Russia and cultural practitioners from Russia to Switzerland, applications are available for physical or digital format. However, undertaking the trip to Russia remains an individual decision that must be made consciously and in compliance with the FDFA recommendations at the time of the trip. Pro Helvetia cannot foresee or take responsibility for possible restrictions in the international travel. For more information, please consult the website of Pro Helvetia Moscow or contact the local team moscow@prohelvetia.ru.

South America

  • Argentina
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Chile
  • Ecuador
  • Colombia
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Uruguay
  • Venezuela

South Asia

  • Bangladesh
  • Bhutan
  • India
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Sri Lanka
  • Vietnam

West, Central, East and Southern Africa

  • Angola
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Ethiopia
  • Benin
  • Botswana
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cabo Verde
  • Côte d’Ivoire
  • DR Congo
  • Djibouti
  • Eritrea
  • Eswatini
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Cameroon
  • Kenya
  • Comoros
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Mali
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Republic of the Congo
  • Rwanda
  • Zambia
  • Sao Tome and Préncipe
  • Senegal
  • Seychelles
  • Sierra Leone
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • South Sudan
  • Tanzania
  • Togo
  • Chad
  • Uganda
  • Central African Republic
  • Zimbabwe

Residency partners of the Liaison offices

The websites of Pro Helvetia’s liaison offices include a selection of residency partners in the above-mentioned countries with whom Pro Helvetia has cooperated or intends to cooperate:

Residencies for cultural practitioners from the liaison office regions

Cultural practitioners from the regions covered by the liaison offices (Arab region, China, Russia, South America, South Asia, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa) may apply for residencies in Switzerland via myprohelvetia.ch.

Applications may be submitted once a year:

  • Application deadline: 1 March
  • Decision timeline: within four months of the application deadline

Residencies are limited to a maximum duration of three months. Applications must be submitted in English. A list of possible residency partners can be found below.

Residencies serve to gain inspiration, to establish networks and to start thinking about projects. Pro Helvetia offers accommodation, travel costs, a daily allowance, professional mentoring, a workplace (on request) and a contribution to production/material costs (on request).

Additionally, parents can apply for financial support of CHF 1,000 per month at most to co-finance childcare or to bring their children and possibly a caregiver. The applicant is asked to provide an approximate budget for all expenses in advance.

Selection criteria

  • Convincing track record: artistic activity with a national/cross-regional reach
  • Context-related motivation
  • Sufficient knowledge of the respective foreign language(s)
  • Concrete exchange project with a lasting impact
  • Eligible are cultural practitioners from the following disciplines: architecture, performing arts, design, interactive media, literature, music, visual arts

Cultural practitioners from the following countries are eligible to apply

Arab region

  • Egypt
  • Algeria
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Morocco
  • Palestine
  • Tunisia
  • United Arab Emirates

China 

  • Mainland China
  • Hong Kong

Russia*

*For residencies of cultural practitioners from Switzerland to Russia and cultural practitioners from Russia to Switzerland, applications are available for physical or digital format. However, undertaking the trip to Russia remains an individual decision that must be made consciously and in compliance with the FDFA recommendations at the time of the trip. Pro Helvetia cannot foresee or take responsibility for possible restrictions in the international travel. For more information, please consult the website of Pro Helvetia Moscow or contact the local team moscow@prohelvetia.ru.

South America

  • Argentina
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Chile
  • Ecuador
  • Colombia
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Uruguay
  • Venezuela

South Asia

  • Bangladesh
  • Bhutan
  • India
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Sri Lanka
  • Vietnam

West, Central, East and Southern Africa

  • Angola
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Ethiopia
  • Benin
  • Botswana
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cabo Verde
  • Côte d’Ivoire
  • DR Congo
  • Djibouti
  • Eritrea
  • Eswatini
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Cameroon
  • Kenya
  • Comoros
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Mali
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Republic of the Congo
  • Rwanda
  • Zambia
  • Sao Tome and Préncipe
  • Senegal
  • Seychelles
  • Sierra Leone
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • South Sudan
  • Tanzania
  • Togo
  • Chad
  • Uganda
  • Central African Republic
  • Zimbabwe

Residency partners in Switzerland (selection)

Below is a selection of residency partners in Switzerland with which Pro Helvetia has cooperated or intends to cooperate:

Please note that the partner institution will be subject to change depending on different availabilities.

Co-creation Support

To further strengthen its mandate of intercultural exchange and to offer support to artistic practices that result from previous exchanges, Pro Helvetia is launching a two-year pilot measure to support co-creation. It is seen as a next step after a completed research trip or residency. More information can be found here.

Upcoming maintenance work

The application portal myprohelvetia will be updated from 1.1.-7.1.2024. Due to these changes, open applications must be finalized and submitted via the current online portal (myprohelvetia.ch) by the latest 23:59 on 31 December 2023. Until this date, the deadlines and criteria outlined in the current guidelines and calls for applications apply. New applications can be created and submitted in the application portal as of 8 January 2024.