Open Call for Emerging, Advanced and Novel Practices (draft)

Who is calling?

PACESETTERS is a research and innovation action funded by the EU's Horizon Europe research programme. It brings together partners and places, creative practice and research perspectives that are out of the ordinary: creatives and climate scientists, artistic researchers and rural entrepreneurs, cultural workers and open source communities. 

The PACESETTERS consortium consists of 15 partners: universities, cultural organisations, independent foundations and research agencies from across Europe who share the confidence that innovation is most often found where it is least expected. We are coming together at a time when multiple urgencies are shaking old certainties, because it is time to look out and make new connections.

What is this call?

PACESETTERS is a call for emerging or advanced practices from the cultural and creative sectors in response to climate change. We want to collect good examples and lessons learned, failures and success stories, new ideas and practical proposals from all fields: from architecture to music, from design to literature, from fashion to coding, from theatre to game development.

The idea is to learn as much as possible from what has already been proposed, tried or implemented. This means 

• Analysing and demonstrating the impact of these efforts in order to encourage uptake;
• Translating and transferring experiences across sectors, actors and disciplines;
• Stimulating and inspiring new ideas and novel approaches.

We will document, map and visualise the full range of different efforts in the field of arts, culture and creativity to respond to the challenges of climate change. The result will be an interactive map of projects and proposals from all cultural and creative sectors. It will showcase current efforts to

• Adapt to the challenges of climate change, e.g. moving towards climate-smart operations at institutional or project level;
• Contribute to the climate transition towards more sustainable modes of production, e.g. through the use of regenerative materials and circular aesthetics;
• Drive the climate transition by exploring its implications in terms of social, environmental, aesthetic and intergenerational equity, e.g. by raising issues of social justice or diversity.

How can you contribute?

On the PACESETTERS website you can

• Tell your own story about a project or proposal you have initiated or participated in;
• Provide information about projects that you think are relevant;
• Share the experiences of other practitioners facing similar or different challenges;
• Submit, edit and update your contribution on an ongoing basis.

How will you benefit?

Selected submissions will become part of PACESETTERS creative case studies and their implementation, realisation or conceptualisation. PACESETTERS will provide tailor-made and expert feedback to advise the initiators or submitters. The aim is to explore and realise the full potential of collective action and agency by

• connecting creative practitioners across geographical, disciplinary and sectoral boundaries;
• building new networks and access to resources;
• developing strategies to attract third party funding.

Furthermore, submitted proposals may be included in the PACESETTERS Real World Laboratories in Genalguacil, Galway and Nowa Huta for testing, referencing and further development. They can also be presented in panels and poster sessions at the Creative Transformation Summit in November 2025.

What happens to the information?

The data and information collected through this web form (project descriptions and optional contact information) will provide an empirical basis for identifying and exploring new opportunities for rethinking and strengthening the role of arts and culture, heritage and creativity, especially in the context of current societal challenges related to climate crises.

The grid of stories we collect will enable direct connections between what are now widely dispersed practices and practitioners. The Library of Practice will serve as a dynamic and evolving basis for collaboration and experimentation.

Participation in the survey is voluntary. Participants may withdraw without giving a reason. Contributions can be made either anonymously or as a registered user.

Selected parts of your contributions (clearly identifiable in the submission form) will be validated and made publicly available on the PACESETTERS website under a Creative Commons-Share Alike licence. Please note that no personal data will be published in any form. Survey participants will not be identifiable in the Open Map of Projects or in any other publication, unless permission is explicitly given.

All data collected will be stored on the PACESETTERS web servers in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The legal basis for the processing of personal data is informed consent. This includes the possibility to edit, update and remove submitted data at any time during the research project. Users who are registered at the PACESETTERS website can access the data they submitted any time. Participants who can legitimately claim ownership of a project have the possibility to rectify anonymous submissions regarding their own projects. 

Personal data will only be used for internal purposes and will not be shared with third parties. Your analysis will inform and guide the creation of creative case studies and the testing of their findings in real-world laboratories. The results will be published in open access publications. Conclusions and concrete examples will be used for policy briefs and recommendations to key stakeholders such as funding agencies and policy makers.

The Open Call web form will be available online for the duration of the research project, until March 2027. After the end of the research project, continued access to the main project results will be ensured. All personal data will be deleted at the end of the research project, unless explicitly requested otherwise.

NTNU, as the coordinator of PACESETTERS, is responsible for processing the information. Participants of the survey have the right to lodge a complaint with the Norwegian Data Protection Authority. Further information is available in PACESETTERS privacy statement and masthead.

How to move on?

• Participate in the PACESETTERS survey below and submit a project or proposal
• Get in touch directly with the PACESETTERS research team
• Join our online information days on June 3 and June 17