The total budget for the 2026 call is 250,000 euros. The maximum grant amount is 45,000 euros, applicants may request a smaller amount.

What is artistic research?

Artistic research is scholarly research based on creative practice, aiming to generate new knowledge and, based on that, new cultural forms, creative and research methods or techniques, thereby contributing to the development of research fields as well as society and the economy. The creative component and the research component together form a coherent whole that meets the characteristics of research and development activities. Artistic research includes at least one creative field, which may be art, design, music, audiovisual media, performing arts, architecture, or literature.

NB: Please refer to the Estonian Framework Agreement on Artistic Research (PDF) and the Estonian best practices in Artistic Research!

Other documents related to artistic research:

• The Vienna Declaration on Artistic Research: Vienna-Declaration-on-AR
• Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies deMusique et Musikhochschulen: White paper on Artistic Research: White Paper on AR

Objectives of Artistic Research funding

1. to strengthen the capacity of positively evaluated research and development institutions in Estonia active in the field of culture to conduct research studies;
2. enhance interdisciplinary research and development collaboration between research institutions and partner organisations;
3. generate new knowledge and science-based creative and research methods or techniques through projects, thereby contributing to the development of research fields, culture, and society;
4. improve the volume and diversity of knowledge transfer;
5. develop new models of collaboration between research institutions and partner organisations.

What is funded?

Projects are funded whose implementation contributes to achieving the objectives set out in § 3 of the Artistic research regulation and to delivering its results.

Who can apply?

The applicant must be a positively evaluated research and development institution in Estonia, whose employee participates in the project as the principal investigator. By the start of the project activities, the principal investigator must hold a doctoral degree and must have an employment contract with the applicant of at least 0.4 workload during the project period. One person may serve as principal investigator in only one artistic research project at a time.
Projects may also include senior researchers or researchers. Senior researchers must also hold a doctoral degree and have a contractual relationship with the applicant or a partner. A doctoral degree is not required for researchers, but they must have a contractual relationship with the applicant or a partner.

How to apply?

Applications must be submitted through the Estonian Research Information System. The call is open from 30 March until 30 April 2026 at 12:00.

Application and evaluation procedure

Applications are evaluated by an evaluation committee consisting of three representatives of the Ministry of Culture, a representative of the Estonian Research Council, and at least three field-specific experts, depending on the evaluation needs of the submitted applications.
Eligible applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. theoretical and methodological soundness of the project – 40% of the total score;
2. feasibility of the project – 30% of the total score;
3. relevance, urgency, and contribution to the development of the field – 30% of the total score.