Making Visible the Invisible – Critical Pathways Fellowships 2026
Location: Utrecht University, Utrecht (in-person)
Programme: Fellowship
Duration: 4–6 weeks (October–November 2026, flexible dates)
Funding: Up to €10,000 (travel, accommodation, living expenses, visa costs)
Application Deadline: 27 April 2026
Overview
The Critical Pathways community at Utrecht University, in collaboration with Towards a Circular Economy and Society, invites applications for the 2026 Fellowship Programme.
This fellowship offers an opportunity for individuals from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to explore more sustainable and just futures by uncovering hidden stories, systems, and power structures that drive ecological breakdown and inequality. The programme also seeks to highlight alternative approaches that are often overlooked.
The fellowship welcomes applicants without requiring a PhD or academic background, prioritising curiosity, critical thinking, and a commitment to imagining different futures.
This Year’s Theme: Making Visible the Invisible
The 2026 theme focuses on uncovering the hidden dimensions shaping contemporary life, including infrastructures, economies, technologies, and power dynamics.
Applicants are encouraged to explore:
- Overlooked consequences of production, consumption, and technological systems
- The unequal distribution of environmental and social costs
- The impact of global supply chains and resource extraction
- Alternatives to extractive, growth-driven economic models
- Regenerative and equitable approaches to living and working
Proposals should not only critique existing systems but also experiment with new ways of thinking, doing, and living.
Who Can Apply?
Applications are open to individuals whose work challenges dominant narratives, reveals hidden dynamics, or reimagines sustainable and just futures. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Artists, filmmakers, and writers
- Activists, organisers, and community leaders
- Journalists, legal practitioners, and policy advocates
- Conservationists, sustainability practitioners, and entrepreneurs
- Academics from any discipline
What Fellows Will Do
Fellows are invited to:
- Explore questions that reveal unseen impacts of how the world is organised
- Investigate underrepresented perspectives and overlooked narratives
- Share their work through formats such as workshops, performances, screenings, or discussions
- Engage with university communities and external partners
- Build collaborations that contribute to both their practice and the fellowship network
Fellowship Details
- Timing: October–November 2026 (exact dates flexible)
- Duration: 4–6 weeks
- Funding: Up to €10,000 covering travel, accommodation, living expenses, and visa costs
- Resources: Access to office and meeting spaces, university library, and ICT facilities
Fellows will be integrated into the Critical Pathways and Towards a Circular Economy and Society communities, with opportunities to collaborate with researchers and practitioners across disciplines.
