Future Materials at the Jan van Eyck Academie aims to support environmentally conscious art and design practices by conducting research and disseminating knowledge on sustainable non-toxic materials. The long-term programme promotes sustainable alternatives to fossil-based or toxic materials commonly used in arts and design with the aim of fostering ecologically mindful approaches in these creative fields.

Working among a cohort of some 35 artists, designers, curators, writers, and other creative minds will provide the two Research Fellows with insights into the daily complexities of the transition towards sustainable materials, as well as the opportunity to exchange with and learn from a multitude of practices around the world.

Next to the community at the Jan van Eyck Academie, the two Research Fellows will have the opportunity to collaborate with researchers, students, technicians, and companies in Maastricht, dedicated to the circular transition and sustainable materials. These two material research positions are part of the programme Future Threads, supported by the Just Transition Fund (JTF), co-funded by the European Union.

Fashion & Textile Material Fellowship

The Fashion & Textile Material Fellowship supports an existing research project exploring sustainable and biobased material approaches to fashion and/or textile materials, with the overall objective of encouraging the transition to more ecological and sustainable fashion systems. The projects should consider material innovation from a systemic perspective and consider the environmental, cultural, social, and economic dimensions needed for a just transition.

The selected candidate will be offered the opportunity to develop their project with the expertise and facilities of the Jan van Eyck Academie and Textile Innovation Maastricht (TIM).

Future Materials Fellowship

The Future Materials Fellowship aims to support an existing project featuring a biobased material or a materials process applicable in a broad range of creative practices and/or offer a viable alternative to common toxic or not easily recyclable fossil-based materials used in arts and design (epoxy resins, fossil-based polymers, plaster, inks, pigments, and others). The projects should have systemic quality and consider the social and cultural economies associated with a just material transition.

The selected candidate will be offered the opportunity to develop their project with the expertise and facilities of the Jan van Eyck Academie and CHILL at Brightlands Chemelot Campus, among other partners committed to biobased research in Maastricht and surroundings. The selected Material Research Fellows will be invited to embed their enhanced understanding in the development of their material projects with the support of the Jan van Eyck Labs, namely, the Future Materials Lab, Material Matters, Food, Printing & Publishing, Photography & Audiovisual, and the Library. Next to the expertise of the external partners, the Fellows can tap into the extended network of the Future Threads programme that clusters research institutes, schools, companies, workshops, and start-ups pioneering in circular and bio-based materials research and production operating in the region.

The results of these research fellowships will be presented during the Jan van Eyck Open Studios 2027, and the two projects will eventually be included in the Future Materials Bank.

Application deadline: 24 June 2026 
Final selection of 2 candidates: mid-September 2026
Fellowship period: 15 January – 15 December 2027

Conditions of the 2 material research fellowships

• The selected candidates will receive access to a private studio and the expertise of the Labs, in-house experts, and (guest) advisers and will be able to participate and contribute to the academy’s public programme.

• The fellows will receive a monthly stipend of €1,750 and an annual working budget of €2,250. The stipend is 80% exempt from income tax.

• The fellows are expected to reside in Maastricht or direct surroundings (within a radius of 10km) during their stay at the Jan van Eyck.

• The fellows will be offered a private studio apartment. The fellows are required to accept the accommodation on offer.

• The Fellows are exempt from paying an annual enrollment fee.

• Jan van Eyck alumni are not eligible to apply for these fellowships. Alumni of Rijksakademie or De Ateliers, two fellow Post-Academies in the Netherlands, are also not eligible if they have been enrolled as full-time participants in one of these institutions.

Application format

To apply, please submit a single pdf (max. 10 MB) via the respective online registration form (Fashion & Textile Material ter Future Materials) consisting of the following materials presented in English:

• A motivational letter and project proposal (max 500 w. each);

• Documentation of previous work (max 15 pages with 1 – 2 images per page). The presented material should not be older than 5 years;

• A curriculum vitae (max 2 pages)