European and International Arts and Culture Networks

Connecting with a professional international or European network can open doors to new opportunities to meet and collaborate with peers and internationalise your practice. Networks can offer a chance for co-creation, learning, information sharing, staff exchanges, training, expanding perspectives, generating new ideas and much more. There is a wide range of arts and cultural networks across many different activities and practices, from informal alliances of culture professionals to formalised membership bodies. Their websites can be a rich source of information and practical resources.

Please find information on European and International Arts and Culture networks here.

Other sources of funding for international mobility and practice

Enquiries should be made directly to the agencies.

i-Portunus | EU Artist Mobility Grants

i-Portunus will launch five open calls for applications, targeting artists, creators and cultural professionals in music, literary translation, architecture and cultural heritage in December 2020, January 2021 and February 2021. i-Portunus dedicates a total budget of €500,000 with a fixed amount per applicant for transport and per diem, depending on the destination country and duration of the mobility. For more details see www.i-portunus.eu

The following calls are  now open for applications:

i-Portunus for Music
This call for applications is open to composers, musicians and singers preferably in classical music, jazz and traditional music genres (individuals or groups of up to 5 people), aged 18+, legally residing in a Creative Europe country. For further details see here. Deadline: 28 February, 2021

i-Portunus for Literary Translation
This call for applications is open to literary translators, aged 18+, active in the field of literature, legally residing in a Creative Europe country (individuals or groups of up to 5 people). For further details see here. Deadline: 28 February, 2021

Calls opening soon:

i-Portunus for Architecture
This call will open on Friday 15 January 2021 and the deadline will be 15 March, 2021.

Background to i-Portunus - The EU piloted a mobility scheme for artists and culture professionals, i-Portunus, between April and September 2019. Three calls were issued to support international mobilities for individuals from countries participating in the Creative Europe programme (including Ireland). Read the 2020 report Artists Abroad which reviews the pilot scheme and summarises the results here.

The i-Portunus programme will be incorporated into the next Creative Europe programme (2021-2027).

ASEF – Asia Europe Foundation Mobility First! travel grant
A travel grant for artists and cultural professionals in Asia and Europe. This is offered through four competitive open calls per year. International travel support is awarded to cultural professionals in Europe and Asia to participate in activities that are integral to their professional development and that would benefit society and others. Awards can support travel to a festival, workshop, training or research trip. Further details at https://mobilityfirst.asef.org/

Creative Europe 2014-2020
Creative Europe is the EU funding programme to support the culture and audiovisual sectors. For further details and to contact the Creative Europe Desk Ireland information desks see www.creativeeuropeireland.eu For examples of projects involving Irish arts and culture organisations that have accessed this funding for transnational projects see here.

Erasmus+ programme
Erasmus+ is the EU funding programme for projects and activities (including international exchanges) in the fields of education, training, youth and sport. For information and advice contact www.leargas.ie/programmes/erasmusplus. Read how Galway Community Circus has accessed Erasmus+ this funding to support some of its work here.

ECF STEP Travel Grants
STEP Travel grants support emerging artists and up and coming cultural workers (prioritising those aged up to 35 yrs and/or in the first 10 years of their career) to travel within EU and to neighbouring countries. The fund provides travel grants (of between €250 - €700) for ‘engaged partnerships’ with cultural partners involving study and exchange of skills and ideas. Grants are paid on completion of the travel. The grant is an initiative of the European Cultural Foundation.  Due to the Coronavirus outbreak these travel grants have been temporarily suspended. Subscribe to the ECF e-zine for updates. For more information visit ecflabs.org/step-travel-grants