SoC Open Call, 2026

School of Commons (SoC), a global learning community, is looking for individual and collective projects to form the SoC learning environment from April 2026 - December 2026. 

For 2026 we will be selecting 15 Funded Projects: 7 ZHdK projects from currently enrolled or employed students and staff of ZHdK [Zürich University of the Arts], and 8 independent projects from proposals outside of ZHdK, including ZHdK alumni. The 8 independent projects can be from anywhere in the world, and do not have to be associated with an educational institution of any kind or have any specific level of education.

For all 15 project places we strongly encourage duos and collectives to apply, although we will be accepting projects submitted from individuals, duos, and collectives respectively.

Each of the 15 projects will receive a total budget of 1,500CHF towards production and travel expenses, alongside access to publishing opportunities, accommodation in Zürich during the mid-year gathering, mentors/speakers, workshops on alternative ways and workings, peer learning, collaborations, and more.

What is School of Commons?

School of Commons (SoC) is a community-based initiative dedicated to peer learning, and the study and development of self-organized knowledge production, located at the Zürich University of the Arts (ZHdK).

To date, we have supported 157 projects since our foundation in 2017, with the content and position of SoC being defined by our community. Over the 8-months of the SoC program, research is conducted as peer-based collaborative endeavours with annually changing members. Each cohort brings together a wide range of participants, guests, and contributors who share their curiosity, skills, and visions - producing a broad, integrative understanding of knowledge. We offer personal support, financial resources, and an active community of peers and experts engaged in a wide range of topics.

SoC’s program is developed bottom-up rather than top-down. Instead of providing a fixed curriculum, we encourage participants to actively shape our program, either by organizing and hosting events themselves, introducing new lines of study, or by inviting guest speakers and tutors who are relevant to their research. SoC is there to support and help organize the educational program our participants would like to have.

In short, SoC:

• Is a global community-learning environment dedicated to the study and development of self-organized knowledge through commons-based methods and practices
• Is located at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), but mostly hybrid in format, taking place online, with some select offline events at the ZHdK, and selected venues across Zürich
• Brings together practitioners, researchers, facilitators, and activists from all disciplines for its 8-month peer-led learning program.
• Has a structure which is shaped based on the needs, requirements, and wishes of the participants
• Works with a broad network of partners who help to explore, shape, and share the future of Peer Education as an important strategy and method of lifelong learning.

If you would like to familiarise yourself with some of the key terminology School of Commons uses within this application pack, and as part of the learning environment, please refer to our Ways and Workings Directory. If there is a term used in this application pack that you are unfamiliar with, please search for it in the Ways and Workings Directory for further information and context.

What does School of Commons offer to participants who are selected?

• A one-off, unaccounted budget of 1,500 Swiss Francs towards production and travel expenses
• A supportive learning environment
• Opportunity for collaboration and exchange, as well as peer-group and public presentation platforms
• Online and offline spaces to experiment with ideas, concepts, and practices
• Support with presentation structures such as the planning of exhibitions, events, and workshops
• Access to publishing opportunities, including our annual end-of-year publication: ISSUES
• Access to ZHdK’s infrastructure during on-site events. Specifically: tech material, room-booking access, access to faculty members of ZHdK
• Participation in our ongoing research project into ‘Accessibility and Inclusion in Digital and Hybrid Learning Environments’
• Introduction to a growing SoC alumni network for mutual support and exchange
• Workshops introducing methodologies for peer learning and co-creation

What do School of Commons’ participants have in common?

It is essential that SoC participants feel a connection to the main qualities that form the SoC learning environment, these are:

• Reciprocal exchange
• Experimentation
• Openness (towards one another, especially towards backgrounds and contexts unfamiliar to our own, towards definitions of, and approaches towards learning and knowledge, and towards the process of commoning, which very often requires working directly with those from outside of our own bubbles)
• Conviviality
• Curiosity
• Committed
• Process-centred approaches

Who can apply to SoC?

SoC is open to all countries, backgrounds, ages, and disciplines, for applicants who are interested in the production and sharing of knowledge in the broadest sense, and who feel a desire to actively engage with, work as part of, and be in collaboration with a community of fellow thinkers and producers.

SoC has no set criteria in relation to formal or informal educational backgrounds. Previous participants have had a broad range of qualifications from non-academic, to BA, to PhD level, with backgrounds ranging from technical schools to art schools, to universities, as well as auto-didacts, makers, activists, and those with lived experience and tacit knowledge. SoC has previously had the pleasure of hosting artists, scientists, architects, geographers, designers, writers, and those who consider themselves between and outside of these categories, as part of the program.

SoC does not select based on discipline but is instead focused on those interested in, or working with alternative methods for learning, with an emphasis on wider definitions of knowledge and experience, as well as the desire and commitment to learn with and from others, and to engage critically and thoughtfully with the wider SoC community.

The main learning agenda of SoC is to produce and share practices based around the methods of peer learning and commoning. In doing so, we aim to encourage spaces for exchange and alternative ways and workings. Overall, SoC endeavours to be a place that produces and reproduces alternative modes of thinking and doing across research, disciplines, themes, and focuses.

What do School of Commons expect from applicants and participants?

Over the 8-month programme from April to December 2026, School of Commons expects, from each participant, their commitment and active participation, within their individual capacities. This is especially the case for all SoC activities and the wider learning environment that is produced collectively. Tuesday evenings between 18.00-19.30 CET/CEST is scheduled School of Commons time, so participants should make this time free.

A commitment to the following, within capacity, must be made:

• Weekly School of Commons meetings, Tuesday evenings 6-7.30pm CET/CEST
• Facilitating one in a series of ‘Kitchen Sessions’
• Attending the SoC Gathering (2-5 July, 2026)
• Contributing to the end-of-year ISSUES publication
• Participation (a variety of forms are possible) in the School of Commons Assembly online, 11-13, December 2026
• Actively using and contributing to our growing compendium of Ways & Workings, peer learning practices and commoning methodologies
• For the full schedule for the SoC Program 2026 please refer to the dedicated section in this document

During the 8-month program, participants will work on a project surrounding a topic, theme, or subject of their choice, in a manner of their own choosing. Participants are thus considered experts of their own research. SoC offers impulse activities including workshops, info sessions, and tutorials which aim to provide inspiration and foundational frameworks. This said, each participant is responsible for their own learning process, as well as that of one another. You will therefore be expected to take care of, and communicate your own needs and requirements, for which we can support by co-seeking the (re)sources, tutors, mentorship, methods, and/or collaborators necessary.

There are no set outcomes expected or required as part of acceptance into the program. SoC values experimental ways of working which do not necessarily work towards predetermined outcomes.

What is the selection process?

Successful applicants should demonstrate clearly how they will contribute to the SoC structure by expressing the ways in which they plan to engage with the wider SoC community and shared learning environment, as well as the ways in which they plan to work collaboratively.

Selection is made by a group of peer reviewers made up of current or former participants of SoC. The selection committee chooses new participants entirely anonymously, based only on the submitted project plans and the applicants’ willingness to actively contribute towards a collaborative learning environment. CV’s or portfolios are not accepted as part of the application procedure, any and all identifiable information (name, country, educational and/or institutional affiliations) must also be entirely emitted from the application.

Successful proposals will therefore:

• Present clear information about the aims, methods, and openness of their project
• Provide sufficient information on the ways in which they wish to work within and contribute towards the collective learning environment of School of Commons
• Demonstrate a clear interest in peer learning and collective knowledge production and distribution, for example naming areas of the project in which collaboration is encourages or processes and methods can be actively shared
• If the project already exists, or is part of a larger body of work, the applicant must clearly state what specific area of the work will be developed within SoC, and how this area of the research specifically connects to SoC
• If applying as a collective, the applicant mustexplain how the collective will be consistently represented and present in the program. I.e. Will all, or a select number of collective members attend the meetings and events, or will tasks be divided amongst the collective? We encourage consistency of representation throughout the program, even if this means only 1 or 2 members of a collective regularly attend meetings and activities. This consistency allows for community cohesion and trust building.

Selection is based on the completeness of submitted materials, the feasibility of the project, and how well the project connects to the aims and values of the SoC learning environment. Applications which include clear identifiable information (name, city/country, educational and/or institutional affiliations) will not be accepted for review.

There are two main categories for which applications are assessed. Under each category or sub-categories which must be taken into consideration:

CATEGORY 1: CONTENT OF THE PROPOSAL

Content looks at the clarity of the proposals’ key questions, lines of inquiry and suggested ways of working, as well as the relevance of the project in relation to major societal issues, tensions and questions, current discourse on the topic, and the use of innovative and/or experimental approaches.

CATEGORY 2: MOTIVATION TO BE PART OF THE SCHOOL OF COMMONS LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Motivation looks at the proposals’ ambitions towards contributing to alternative forms of knowledge production and circulation, peer learning, commoning practices, and the overall ethos and spirit of the SoC learning environment. It also looks for a demonstrated commitment to actively exchanging, sharing, and collaborating with fellow participants, with clear examples of how this will be tangibly overseen, incorporating approaches based upon sharing, reproducing, and collaborating as part of the SoC learning environment to support this.

Please note: Applicants may submit one application only to the 2026 Open Call. Previous participants can only apply with an entirely new project with new collaborators. Participants may only join SoC for two consecutive years.

You can find out more about previous SoC participants and projects here. We encourage you to access our directory of Ways and Workings to help guide your application.

How will School of Commons be structured for 2026? SoC offers a learning environment and a 8-month program structure that is evolved and shaped in dialogue with participants. As part of the 8-month program, SoC helps facilitate an internal program of open spaces and sessions with participants. This is combined with a series of public offerings, all of which are open access, and which help to make the knowledge and practices that arise from the program through our participants and their processes, publicly available and shareable. The proposed structure for the preliminary program over the 8 months of April 2026 - December 2026 is as follows.:

Overview for 2026

Welcome Meeting Dates: We will schedule one meeting with each project in March or April Format: Online, internal

These one-on-one 45-minute sessions aim to build trust, address questions, and ensure accessibility. Participants will meet with SoC team members for individual discussions.

Kick Off Dates: April 10–12, 2026 Time: 2026, times tbc. depending on time zone representation Format: Online, internal, led by the SoC team

The Kick-off event is a chance to connect, share, and learn about the program. It features Kitchen Sessions—20-minute presentations by cohort members.

Self Organised Program Time: All meetings are held from 18:00–19:30 CET/CEST Dates for 2026, usually the first Tuesday of every month:

• April 21 – SoC Self-Organized Group Mapping and Planning
• April 28 – How to: ISSUES Publication Info Event
• May 5 – How to: Website Onboarding and Profile Creation
• June 2 – SoC Guest Lecture on the Commons
• June 30 – TBC
• September 1 – TBC
• October 6 – TBC
• November 3 – TBC
• December 1 – TBC

Self Organised Program Time: All meetings are held from 18:00–19:30 CET/CEST (Usually the third Tuesday of every month) Dates (2026):

• May 19
• June 16
• July 7
• September 15
• October 20
• November 17
• December 15

These meetings are self-organized by the SoC cohort.

Gathering Dates: July 2–5, 2026 Format: In-person in Zürich, internal

Held at the Zurich University of the Arts, the Gathering emphasizes peer learning, self-organization, and social interaction. This is a good moment to try out things or experiment with the whole cohort in person.

You are responsible for organizing and covering your travel expenses, while accommodation will be provided. At least one member from each project should attend, but additional participants are more than welcome!

Public Event Dates: December 11–13, 2026 Format: Online, public

This public event features the launch of the ISSUES 2026 publication, developed by the cohort during their time at SoC.

How to Apply

Applications are submitted via this Google Form where you will be asked a set of mandatory questions to answer. You must answer all questions in full before you can submit your response.

No CVs, biographies or formal educational requirements should be included anywhere in the application form. Please refrain from including any key identifiable information about yourself. Applications must be submitted either in English or German. The program is facilitated in English, so a confident grasp of the English language is required for full participation.

We strongly emphasise that if the above information is not followed, including if names or key information is included in the application, or if the application exceeds the word limits, the application will not be considered.

APPLY HERE The link to apply is: https://forms.gle/dyrLR9yMEqhk8T6n8

The application deadline is 23.59pm CEST Thursday 10th July 2025. For any questions, please get in touch at: hello@schoolofcommons.org. You will hear back with a response by end of September 2025.

A dedicated Q+A session for the Open Call will be held via Zoom on Wednesday June 11, 2025 17.30-19.00 CEST, which we encourage you to attend.

For FAQ’s, please access our dedicated document: SoC OPEN CALL 2026 FAQs

SoC and Accessibility

We actively encourage applications from individuals or collectives from underrepresented groups and who identify as BIPOC, FLINTA, LGBTQIA+ and those with a disability and neurodiverse conditions.

Each participant will receive an access rider ahead of the SoC kick-off weekend, and we organise a welcome meeting for each participant or collective to discuss their needs and requirements ahead of the starting date where any needs, requirements, or desires can be communicated.

Over the course of the next few years, we will be undertaking extensive research on ‘Accessibility and Inclusion in Digital and Hybrid Learning Environments’. We intend to implement our findings directly within SoC, and welcome participants to contribute towards the research if they are interested or may find it useful.

The program is facilitated in English, so a confident grasp of the English language, or access to translation tools is essential for participation. This said, we endeavour to find methods for making the program accessible to include other languages within our resources and capacities. In previous years we have experimented with alternative methods for such accessibility including a range of transcription methods, and we are open to adopting further communication and documentation tools that may be useful for participants.

Most events are facilitated digitally and can be recorded upon request with written transcripts. We cannot promise to meet all accessibility needs and requirements. Instead, we promise to do our utmost to support you with your needs and capacities within the resources we can offer as a team.

SoC Code of Conduct

This code of conduct is a basis for all our activities, gatherings, communications, and internal and external outputs.

It forms part of our committed pursuit to engendering a SAFER space (we acknowledge ‘Safe’ is a constantly evolving environment and set of conditions and commit to continuously revising and responding in relation to this). We further acknowledge that we come from different backgrounds, contexts, disciplines, and approaches and all have certain areas of unawareness, experiencing processes of learning and unlearning. Therefore, this Code of Conduct cannot account for all the ways that people might feel excluded, unsafe, or uncomfortable. It is also a tool to ensure we can best support the SoC participants, team, Alumn* Network, and our wider ecosystem and audiences. We commit to open dialogues, and, as such, this Code of Conduct is never considered finished and should change whenever needed. We will amend this document over time, so it reflects the priorities and sensitivities of SoC as it changes. It is a collective responsibility for all of us to enact the behaviour described below and bring it to the physical and digital spaces of SoC. The code of conduct is a set of guidelines that helps establish shared values and ensures that behaviours that may threaten or harm participants is avoided. This document equally applies to the School of Common’s, team, participants, contributors, collaborators, and all those who engage and attend in our outputs and process. The document also applies to users and contributors to SoC’s online channels. The word ‘we’ that is used in throughout the document as it speaks to and applies to all the above. Read our full code of conduct, here.

Thank you for reading the full School of Commons Open Call 2026 document. If you have any questions regarding this document or your application, please contact directly us at hello@schoolofcommons.org.

We very much looking forward to receiving your applications.