Net+ Creative Fellowships 2027

Call for Creative Practitioners

Deadline for applications is midnight on Sunday 15 November 2026. 

Exploratory placement over 5 weeks, working in an interdisciplinary Research context  

Introduction  

The Net+ Centre for Health and Climate Solutions is seeking three Creative Practitioners to work with us across 2027. Each fellowship will be hosted by a different partner within the Centre.  

Creative Fellowships are bespoke short-term placements that bring creative practitioners into research/policy settings to encourage new conversations across disciplines. They are ‘hosted’ – either by an individual or a small group of researchers. Practitioners from any artform – including visual, digital, sound and performing arts, craft, design, film, literature, music – are welcome to apply.   

Net+ recognises the pivotal role that creative practitioners can play in co-developing innovative solutions to address the climate and health issues we face. To find out more about the Centre please see the Appendices below and visit our website.  

Creative Fellowships are designed to benefit both the Creative Fellow and the Host, providing inspiration for new approaches and generating fledgling insights/ideas that could be the springboard for future initiatives.  The emphasis is on exploration and process, so documentation and evaluation will be intrinsic to project delivery.  

Creative Fellowships are not commissioning processes. Our preference is for Creative Fellows to come into this process without a fixed output in mind, but to develop, working closely with their Host, new work rooted in their established practice and responding to the Topic. We hope this equitable collaboration will lead to unexpected results and far-reaching impacts.  

To give a sense of how varied and bespoke each project can be, you can find out about past Creative Fellowship projects here.  

Creative Fellowships aim to: 

• Support open conversation for unusual knowledge exchange which move beyond conventional methodological boundaries 

• Connect individuals and disciplinary perspectives that lead to new lines of inquiry, knowledge translation, policy insights or interdisciplinary ways of working 

• Advocate for artistic methods and creative process as legitimate forms of knowledge production within the context of an interdisciplinary research Centre. 

• Work on programmes that span a broad range of disciplines and perspectives. 

• Develop a tangible outcome that communicates the process of the Creative Fellowship.  

Outputs and Timetable  

The timing and detail of outputs disseminating the process, or testing out ideas jointly developed as part of the Creative Fellowship, are to be developed in discussion with your academic Host.  No two Creative Fellowships are the same and we are committed to an open and process-driven approach.  

The Creative Fellowship runs over a period of 5 weeks to be agreed with your Net+ Centre Hosts, split between in-situ research and production time. This time can be spent in a short block or spaced over several months. 

Information about timescales and locations of each Creative Fellowship can be found in the three topic call outs below. 

Your Creative Fellowship will be supported by a dedicated Cultural Producer role who will support each project. 

The project must be completed between Jan and Oct 2027. The fee covers this period.  

Required Skills and Experience of Fellows 

• Experience of arts placements or residencies with non-arts professionals.  

• Ability to plan and deliver projects to deadlines.  

• Strong interest in use of creative processes and application of artistic insights and behaviours in diverse contexts. 

• Experience and keen interest in applying sustainable practices to how you make and deliver creative work  

• Collaborative and enquiring outlook. 

• Willingness and ability to spend time with your academic hosts and host organisations 

Fee 

The total fee per Creative Fellowship is £6,000 (inclusive of VAT).  This includes your practitioner’s fee (covering 5 weeks), equipment, travel and accommodation, and production costs. The Net+ Centre team will support additional expenses including photography, support with event planning and delivery, promotion, and dissemination.  

An additional £1000 is available during your fellowship to cover costs associated with dissemination/engagement activities. You will agree with your Host how this £1k should be spent.  

Application Process  

Three Net+ Centre Creative Fellowships are being offered in 2027. Details of the three Creative Fellowship Topics are included in the Appendices detailed in the side bar, so that artists can make informed choices about which topic area to apply for.  

You may only apply to one topic and you are welcome to demonstrate how you have explored aspects of the topic in your current or past work.  

Practitioners from any creative discipline are invited to apply and will be selected following interview. The interview panel for each Creative Fellowship will consist of the Lead Host, a representative from the Arts and Culture team, University of Exeter and one other member of Net+ Centre staff.  

All interviews will be online (Teams) and you will be offered £100 for your interview attendance.  

Apply by emailing a one-page written response (with up to six supporting images, or link to one video file if appropriate), plus a CV to  [email protected]. Please use email title – Creative Fellowship Application (Topic X). Please note that the maximum size for emails is 10MB.   

You must specify which of the Net+ Centre Creative Fellowships Topics you are applying for in the email title, and what you would contribute to a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and practice on the topic area. 

The three Net+ Centre Creative Fellowships are:  

TOPIC 1) Collective creativity; Connecting people, the environment & artificial intelligence, hosted by Centre for Environmental Intelligence (CEI) at Exeter University 

TOPIC 2) Nature, Value and Voice: Creative Inquiry into Urban Nature Investment, hosted by The National Trust, Nature Towns and Cities Team 

TOPIC 3) Re-imagining a nature and health service: A Creative Fellowship in Nature and Health, hosted by Natural England