The MAKE/SENSE PhD Programme 2026 at the Academy of Art and Design Basel FHNW (HGK Basel) offers an opportunity for artists, designers, curators, publishers and cultural organisers to pursue doctoral research through interdisciplinary and practice-based approaches.

Hosted by the Critical Media Lab at the Institute Experimental Design and Media Cultures in Basel, the PhD programme is organised in partnership between Basel and Linz and brings together artistic research, critical media practices, experimental design, publishing, cultural production and critical approaches to infrastructures.

The programme is particularly suited to applicants whose research does not fit neatly within conventional academic disciplines and who want to investigate complex cultural, technological, institutional or social questions through creative and practice-based research.

The pre-proposal application deadline is September 27, 2026.

About the MAKE/SENSE PhD Programme

The MAKE/SENSE PhD Programme is built around the principles of flexibility, self-determination, creativity and interdisciplinarity. Rather than prescribing a single research methodology or disciplinary framework, the programme supports doctoral projects that use experimental, artistic and critical approaches to generate knowledge.

The PhD is carried out through a partnership between Basel and Linz, with the programme hosted by the Critical Media Lab at the Institute Experimental Design and Media Cultures in Basel.

Doctoral candidates receive joint supervision from faculty members at both institutions. The programme combines individualised mentoring with collective academic and research activities.

Its structure includes:

• Individualised mentoring
• Joint supervision from faculty in Basel and Linz
• Monthly colloquia
• An annual assembly
• Public events
• Collaborations with external partners
• Interdisciplinary research and exchange

The programme is designed to create an environment where doctoral researchers can develop independent research projects while also participating in a broader intellectual and creative community.

Three Core Areas of Research

Applicants should develop projects that engage with at least one of the programme’s principal areas of concern. These areas provide a framework for understanding the kinds of research the MAKE/SENSE programme is interested in supporting.

1. Situated Artistic Research

The first area is Situated Artistic Research.

This strand supports artistic and research practices that question dominant ways of producing and validating knowledge. It places particular emphasis on forms of inquiry that are embodied, affective and experimental.

Rather than treating knowledge as something produced exclusively through conventional academic methods, situated artistic research can explore how knowledge emerges through:

• Artistic practice
• Embodied experience
• Affective engagement
• Experimentation
• Creative processes
• Situated perspectives
• Alternative epistemologies

Applicants interested in this area may therefore consider how artistic practice itself can function as a method of investigation and knowledge production.

The approach is particularly relevant for projects that seek to challenge established assumptions about whose knowledge counts, how knowledge is generated, and how different forms of experience can contribute to research.

2. Infrastructural Critique

The second area is Infrastructural Critique.

This strand examines infrastructures not simply as technical or institutional systems but as spaces where power, knowledge, organisation and social relations are produced and contested.

Research may engage with:

• Institutional infrastructures
• Technological infrastructures
• Research infrastructures
• Systems of organisation
• Institutional practices
• Technologies and their social consequences
• Alternative forms of collective organisation

The programme describes these infrastructures as potential sites of critique, abolitionist intervention, collective reimagining and world-making.

This makes the area relevant to researchers interested in examining how systems and structures shape everyday life, knowledge production, cultural practice or institutional relationships.

Applicants could therefore develop research that not only analyses existing infrastructures but also considers possibilities for transforming, reimagining or creating alternatives to them.

3. Critical Media

The third area is Critical Media.

This area explores how knowledge is:

• Read
• Written
• Mediated
• Published
• Circulated
• Interpreted
• Produced through different formats

The programme supports practice-based approaches to reading and writing, publishing and expanded media formats.

This means that applicants may explore not only conventional written research but also alternative ways of producing and communicating knowledge.

Projects could potentially engage with questions surrounding publishing, media practices, experimental writing, cultural circulation and the ways different media formats influence how knowledge is understood and shared.

Interdisciplinary and Practice-Based Research Environment

A major feature of the MAKE/SENSE PhD Programme is its interdisciplinary character.

The programme welcomes applicants whose practices may cross traditional disciplinary boundaries. This makes it relevant to professionals working across areas such as art, design, publishing, curating and cultural organisation.

Instead of requiring applicants to fit their research entirely within a conventional academic discipline, the programme provides space for projects that combine different practices and perspectives.

The combination of individual mentoring, monthly colloquia and an annual assembly also means that doctoral researchers are expected to develop their individual projects while engaging with a wider research community.

Public events and collaborations with external partners further extend the programme beyond its core academic environment.

What Applicants Must Submit

The first stage of the selection process is the pre-proposal round.

Applicants are required to submit a number of documents demonstrating their academic qualifications, professional background and proposed doctoral research.

The required application materials are as follows:

1. Motivation Letter

Applicants must submit a two-page A4 motivation letter.

The letter must include:

• The applicant’s motivation for pursuing the PhD
• Two preferred supervisors
• The rationale for selecting those supervisors
• Plans for financing the PhD
• Any need for support with external funding applications
• External funding or grants the applicant plans to apply for

Applicants should therefore carefully consider the research interests and expertise of potential supervisors before selecting their preferred supervisors.

The rationale for choosing each supervisor should demonstrate a clear connection between the applicant’s proposed research and the supervisor’s expertise.

2. Project Outline

Applicants must provide a 2–3 page A4 project outline, excluding references.

This is one of the most important components of the pre-proposal because it introduces the proposed doctoral research project.

The project outline should contain:

Research Question

Applicants need to clearly identify the central question their proposed research will investigate.

A strong research question should establish what the project is trying to understand, explore, challenge or develop.

State of the Art

The proposal should include a short state-of-the-art section.

This demonstrates the applicant’s understanding of existing research, debates, practices or knowledge related to the proposed project.

Relevance and Topicality

Applicants must explain the relevance and topicality of their project in relation to at least one of the programme’s areas of concern.

The proposal should therefore make a clear connection to one or more of:

1. Situated Artistic Research
2. Infrastructural Critique
3. Critical Media

Proposed Methods

The project outline must explain the methods the applicant intends to use.

Because the programme supports artistic and practice-based research, applicants should clearly communicate how their creative, artistic, design, curatorial, publishing or other research practices will contribute to the investigation.

Proposed Outcomes

Applicants must also explain the expected outcomes of the research.

These outcomes should communicate what the doctoral project intends to produce, discover, develop or contribute.

References should be included where appropriate but do not count toward the 2–3 page limit.

3. Curriculum Vitae

Applicants must submit a CV outlining their academic and professional background.

The CV should provide relevant information about the applicant’s experience and demonstrate how their previous work relates to the proposed doctoral project.

For creative professionals, relevant artistic, design, curatorial, publishing, cultural or research experience can be particularly important in demonstrating the applicant’s profile.

4. Portfolio

Applicants must submit a portfolio.

The call specifically identifies the following types of material:

• Art samples
• Design samples
• Curatorial work
• Writing samples

The portfolio provides applicants with an opportunity to demonstrate their existing practice and show how their previous work connects with their proposed research.

Applicants should therefore select portfolio materials strategically rather than treating the portfolio simply as a collection of unrelated work.

5. Academic Diplomas and Transcripts

Applicants must provide:

• MA diploma
• MA transcript
• BA diploma
• BA transcript

The MA qualification should be equivalent to 120 ECTS or meet the programme’s equivalent qualification requirement.

Applicants with qualifications from outside the European higher education system should ensure that their academic documentation clearly demonstrates the level and scope of their qualifications.

PhD Supervision

Applicants are required to identify two preferred supervisors in their motivation letter.

The programme’s current list of PhD supervisors is available through the official MAKE/SENSE PhD Programme page.

Applicants should review the available supervisors carefully and identify individuals whose research interests, expertise and methodological approaches connect meaningfully with their proposed project.

The motivation letter should then explain why those two supervisors have been selected.

Important Funding Information

One of the most important considerations for prospective applicants is that doctoral positions in the programme are not funded.

This means that admission to the programme does not come with a funded doctoral position.

Applicants therefore need to think carefully about how they will finance their studies.

The application specifically requires applicants to explain their plans for financing the PhD.

Applicants should also indicate:

• Whether they require support identifying external funding
• Whether they intend to apply for external grants
• Which external funding opportunities they plan to pursue
• How they intend to support themselves during the doctoral programme

This makes financial planning an important component of the application rather than something that can be considered only after admission.

Selection Process and Important Dates

The MAKE/SENSE PhD Programme uses a two-stage selection process.

First Round: Pre-Proposals

The first stage involves submitting the required pre-proposal materials.

Deadline: September 27, 2026

Applicants should ensure that the motivation letter, project outline, CV, portfolio and academic documents are prepared before the deadline.

Notification of Results

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the first round in:

Mid-November 2026

Applicants who progress to the second stage will then be invited to prepare a full proposal.

Second Round: Full Proposal

The second stage requires shortlisted applicants to develop and submit a full proposal.

Deadline: December 18, 2026

The full proposal stage provides applicants with an opportunity to develop the research project introduced during the pre-proposal stage in greater depth.

Applicants should therefore be prepared to further develop their research question, theoretical and contextual framework, methodology and expected outcomes.

Interviews

Interviews are scheduled for:

Mid-January 2027 — Week 2/3

Applicants who reach this stage should be prepared to discuss their proposed research project and explain its relationship to the MAKE/SENSE programme.

Final Notification

The final admission notification is scheduled for:

End of January 2027

This marks the conclusion of the selection process.

MAKE/SENSE PhD Programme 2026 Timeline

What Makes the Programme Distinctive?

The MAKE/SENSE PhD Programme is structured around a research environment that combines creative practice, critical inquiry and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Rather than separating artistic practice from research, the programme creates space for applicants to develop research through artistic, design, media, curatorial, publishing and cultural practices.

Its three research areas provide several possible entry points:

• Situated Artistic Research for projects investigating embodied, affective and experimental knowledge practices.
• Infrastructural Critique for projects examining institutional, technological and research infrastructures and possibilities for their transformation.
• Critical Media for projects exploring reading, writing, publishing, mediation and alternative forms of knowledge circulation.

This framework can accommodate doctoral projects that engage with contemporary cultural, technological, institutional and social questions through experimental methodologies.

Read Full Details About This Opportunity HERE

Potential Applicants Should Consider

Before applying, prospective candidates should carefully assess whether their professional and academic background fits the programme.

A prospective applicant should consider:

1. Academic eligibility — Do you hold an MA worth 120 ECTS or an equivalent qualification?
2. Professional profile — Do you have a background in art, design, curating, publishing or cultural organisation?
3. Research alignment — Does your proposed project connect with at least one of the three programme areas?
4. Research question — Can you formulate a clear and meaningful research question?
5. Methodology — Can you explain how your proposed methods will investigate the question?
6. Portfolio — Can you demonstrate relevant previous creative, design, curatorial or writing practice?
7. Supervision — Have you identified two potential supervisors whose expertise relates to your project?
8. Funding — Do you have a realistic plan for financing an unfunded doctoral position?
9. Documentation — Do you have your BA and MA diplomas and transcripts available?
10. Timeline — Can you prepare a strong pre-proposal before September 27, 2026?

How to Prepare a Strong Pre-Proposal

Applicants should approach the first-round application as more than an administrative submission. The pre-proposal should communicate the relationship between the applicant’s previous practice, proposed research and the intellectual environment of MAKE/SENSE.

A useful preparation process would involve:

Step 1: Identify Your Research Interest

Begin with the question, problem or phenomenon you genuinely want to investigate.

Step 2: Connect It to the Programme

Determine whether your project is most strongly connected to:

• Situated Artistic Research
• Infrastructural Critique
• Critical Media

A project may potentially intersect more than one area, but the relationship should be clear.

Step 3: Research Potential Supervisors

Review the current supervisor list and identify two academics whose expertise is relevant to the proposed research.

Step 4: Develop the Research Question

Turn the broad research interest into a focused research question that can realistically be investigated at doctoral level.

Step 5: Develop the Project Outline

Prepare the required:

• Research question
• State of the art
• Relevance and topicality
• Proposed methods
• Proposed outcomes
• References

Step 6: Prepare the Portfolio

Select work that demonstrates the applicant’s practice and supports the proposed research direction.

Step 7: Develop a Funding Plan

Because the doctoral positions are not funded, applicants should investigate external grants, scholarships and other sources of financial support.

Step 8: Complete the Application Documents

Ensure that the motivation letter, project outline, CV, portfolio and academic documentation are complete before submission.

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Career and Professional Development Environment

The call also highlights the broader professional-development environment associated with FHNW.

The institution encourages staff to engage in continuous professional development within their field and beyond.

Professional development can focus on areas including:

• Teaching
• Research
• Methodological development
• Professional skills
• Individual academic development

The institution describes its CPD approaches as being tailored to individual circumstances and intended to provide methodological tools that support professional development.

Although this information describes the wider FHNW environment rather than constituting funding for the doctoral positions, it reflects the institution’s emphasis on continuing professional and academic development.

Important Note About Funding

Prospective applicants should not interpret the programme as a funded PhD position.

The call explicitly states:

Doctoral positions in the programme are not funded.

Applicants must therefore include their financing plans in the motivation letter and consider external funding opportunities where necessary.

This is particularly important for international applicants who may need to account for tuition or programme-related costs, accommodation, living expenses, travel and other costs associated with undertaking doctoral research in Switzerland. Applicants should verify the exact financial requirements directly with the programme before making financial commitments.

Application Checklist

Before submitting a pre-proposal, applicants should ensure they have prepared:

• Motivation letter — 2 pages A4
• Two preferred supervisors identified
• Rationale for supervisor choices
• PhD financing plan
• External funding/grant plans
• Project outline — 2–3 pages A4 excluding references
• Research question
• Short state of the art
• Relevance and topicality
• Connection to at least one programme area
• Proposed research methods
• Proposed outcomes
• References
• Curriculum Vitae
• Portfolio
• MA diploma and transcript
• BA diploma and transcript

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Deadline

The deadline for the MAKE/SENSE PhD Programme 2026 pre-proposal application is September 27, 2026.

Applicants interested in applying should begin preparing their proposal and supporting documents well before the deadline, particularly because the application requires both a research project outline and a portfolio.

The second-stage full proposal deadline is December 18, 2026, followed by interviews in mid-January 2027 and final notifications at the end of January 2027.

Conclusion

The MAKE/SENSE PhD Programme 2026 provides a doctoral research environment for artists, curators, publishers, designers and cultural organisers interested in developing interdisciplinary and practice-based research. Hosted by the Critical Media Lab at the Institute Experimental Design and Media Cultures in Basel and conducted in partnership between Basel and Linz, the programme brings together individual mentoring, joint supervision, monthly colloquia, an annual assembly, public events and external collaborations.

The programme’s three central areas — Situated Artistic Research, Infrastructural Critique and Critical Media — offer different pathways for investigating how knowledge is created, embodied, mediated, organised and circulated.

Applicants must hold an MA degree of 120 ECTS or an equivalent qualification and submit a motivation letter, research project outline, CV, portfolio and academic documents. They must also identify two preferred supervisors and explain their financing plans.

A particularly important consideration is that the doctoral positions are not funded, meaning prospective candidates need to develop a realistic financial plan and explore external funding opportunities where appropriate.

For applicants whose professional practice and research interests align with the programme’s interdisciplinary and experimental approach, the pre-proposal stage represents the first opportunity to present a doctoral research project for consideration.

Pre-Proposal Deadline: September 27, 2026

For the official programme information and current list of supervisors, applicants should consult the Academy of Art and Design Basel FHNW MAKE/SENSE PhD Programme page before preparing their submission.

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