Organizer Information
The KNOWCASE Open Call 2027 is organized by Sónar+D in collaboration with Fundación Cotec para la Innovación. Sónar+D is the innovation, creativity, and technology platform of the internationally renowned Sónar Festival, bringing together artists, researchers, technologists, designers, scientists, and creative industries to explore the intersection of art, science, digital culture, and emerging technologies. Fundación Cotec is a Spanish non-profit organization established to promote innovation as a driver of economic and social development. Based in Madrid, Cotec supports research, experimentation, and public engagement around innovation, while KNOWCASE serves as its permanent street-facing exhibition space where artistic and technological installations can be experienced by the public 24 hours a day. Through this collaboration, both organizations aim to commission ambitious public artworks that merge artistic practice with scientific knowledge, technology, and social impact while engaging broad audiences in discussions about the future of society.
Title & Description
Sónar+D/Fundación Cotec: Installation in Digital Culture at KNOWCASE (Spain)
KNOWCASE Open Call 2027 is an international commissioning opportunity inviting artists, designers, technologists, researchers, creative studios, collectives, universities, startups, and multidisciplinary teams to develop an original large-scale installation for the KNOWCASE exhibition space at Fundación Cotec's headquarters in Madrid.
The organizers are seeking innovative projects in the field of digital culture that combine artistic creativity with science, research, data, technology, and public participation. Proposed installations should encourage interaction with audiences, stimulate critical thinking, and translate complex ideas into engaging public experiences visible from the street throughout the day and night.
Projects should explore themes connected to art, science, technology, culture, and society, with particular interest in subjects such as digital transformation, circular economies, climate change, research and innovation ecosystems, the future of work, democratic participation, education, social inequality, and public-sector innovation.
The selected proposal will become the next flagship installation occupying KNOWCASE beginning in early 2027 and is expected to remain on display for a minimum of two years, making it one of Madrid's longest-running public digital art commissions. The project budget covers every stage of production—from concept development and technical implementation to installation, maintenance, documentation, travel, accommodation, and artist fees—allowing the selected team to fully realize an ambitious public artwork.
Categories
- Digital Art
- Visual Art
- Installation Art
- Interactive Art
- Media Art
- New Media
- Digital Culture
- Creative Technology
- Data Art
- Sound Art
- Public Art
- Design
- Creative Coding
- Art & Science
- Technology
- Interdisciplinary Practice
- Research-Based Art
Eligibility
The competition is open internationally. Eligible applicants include:
- Individual artists
- Artist collectives
- Designers
- Technologists
- Universities
- Research centers
- Startups
- Creative agencies
- Production companies
- Cultural institutions
- Multidisciplinary teams
- Organizations working across art, science, research, and technology
Applicants must demonstrate relevant professional experience and submit a portfolio showing previous work related to the aims of the commission. There are no nationality or age restrictions stated in the guidelines.
Program Benefits & Awards
- Maximum production budget of €100,000 (+ VAT)
- Artist fees
- Funding for concept development
- Technical development support
- Production costs
- Installation costs
- Exhibition documentation
- Maintenance throughout the exhibition period
- Travel expenses
- Accommodation expenses
- Insurance costs
- Opportunity to realize a high-profile public installation
- Exhibition at Fundación Cotec's KNOWCASE space in central Madrid
- Public exposure through Sónar+D and Fundación Cotec
- Exhibition period of at least 24 months, with the possibility of extension up to 36 months by agreement
The budget must cover all project-related expenses, enabling the selected team to deliver a complete, fully operational installation.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 7 September 2026
- Clarification Meetings with Finalists: 5 October 2026
- Finalists Announced: 13 October 2026
- Winning Proposal Announced: 14 October 2026
- Production & Installation: November 2026 – February 2027
- Public Opening: Final week of February 2027 (exact date to be confirmed)
- Exhibition Duration: Minimum 24 months, up to 36 months (subject to agreement)
Location
Madrid, Spain
Additional Details
- Projects must be original and previously unexhibited.
- Proposals should combine art, technology, science, research, and social engagement.
- Public interaction is a core evaluation criterion.
- Installations must be technically sustainable throughout the exhibition period.
- Projects must comply with the technical specifications provided in the KNOWCASE Technical Dossier.
- Applications may be submitted in English or any official language of Spain.
- Selection will be carried out by an expert committee from Fundación Cotec and Sónar+D, followed by a professional jury.
- Evaluation criteria include conceptual quality and innovation (40%), public interaction and impact (25%), technical and financial feasibility (20%), and suitability for the KNOWCASE exhibition space (15%).
- Intellectual property remains with the creators, while the selected project grants Fundación Cotec exploitation rights for materials produced within the funded commission, with authorship always acknowledged.