SAR Newsletter September 2025

 

Early Career Researchers: Survey Results and Next Steps

Earlier this year, SAR launched the Early Career Researcher (ECR) initiative, responding to a need to connect those starting out on a career in artistic research within a wider international community. ECRs may have graduated from a programme, left their institutions, and are reorienting themselves towards new ways of carrying on their research and SAR recognise that they may be eager for support in this way.

As part of this initiative, we hosted informal encounters during the SAR 2025 Conference in Porto and opened a dedicated survey to better understand the needs and modes of connecting between early career researchers. In conversation with ECRs the intention is to develop a way of communicating, to present themselves, and to establish a hub or home for such a network. We are grateful to all who shared their experiences and needs, and came to have a chat with us in Porto!

Across the survey and conversations, several clear themes emerged:

• A strong need for material and institutional support was highlighted — from financial stability and workspace to infrastructure and time — alongside peer support, mentoring, and clearer pathways to continue research beyond graduation and navigate between academia and independent practice.

• Many respondents wish to broaden their skills and networks, seeking collaboration across disciplines, new approaches to publishing and communication, and more teaching and facilitation opportunities. Access to funding, residencies, post-doc positions, and institutional affiliations that offer stability and support for long-term artistic and academic growth were identified as key needs.

• Finally, many of you expressed a desire to participate actively in SAR, not only by attending events, workshops, and mentoring schemes, but also by planning and facilitating activities, sharing expertise, and helping to build new communities. A centralised platform for opportunities, grant-writing training, mentorship and career advice and better networking tools was also highlighted.

 

While we develop the next phase of the ECR initiative, here are some ways you can already engage with the SAR community:

• The Research Catalogue (RC) hosts a large community of artistic researchers where, by showcasing your work and reaching out to peers, it is possible to establish initial support networks.

• Join or think about starting a Special Interest Group (SIG) — Learn more about SIGs here: https://societyforartisticresearch.org/sigs

• Participate in the yearly SAR Conference: https://societyforartisticresearch.org/international-meetings-and-events
  
  Details of the 2026 edition will soon be shared!

• Joining the RC Webinars: Upcoming sessions — such as the RC introduction webinar in October — are great entry points.
  -> See more on this further down in the newsletter.

• Submitting your published exposition on the RC for the annual prize: https://societyforartisticresearch.org/prize-best-exposition-research-catalogue
  
  The open call for submissions will be shared in the coming months, so keep an eye out for the announcement!

• Sign up for the SARA Announcement via the Research Catalogue - Receive regular updates on calls, events, and opportunities from institutions around the world in your inbox: https://www.researchcatalogue.net/portal/register

 

Watch this space for more ECR updates!

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New RC Portal Launch: mdw - University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.

We are pleased to announce the launch of mdw’s new RC portal:

https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/3284033/3399966

or use the doi shortcut:

https://doi.org/10.22501/mdw 

This portal is curated and maintained by mdw’s Artistic Research Center (ARC), and is intended to bring greater visibility and coherence to the institution’s creative-research output. It brings together a wide range of activity, including current research projects - from third-party funded initiatives to doctoral dissertations - as well as an archive of past projects and publications. You can also explore information about faculty, doctoral candidates, alumni, and the wider research community, alongside sections dedicated to collaborations, partnerships, funded projects, and additional resources for further engagement.

The portal reflects ARC’s mission to bridge art and research, fostering new forms of knowledge that emerge from artistic practice while situating them within wider cultural, academic, and social contexts. Emphasising diversity, interdisciplinarity, and collaboration, ARC supports doctoral programmes, master’s initiatives, and funded projects, while connecting researchers locally and internationally.

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Upcoming RC Webinars – October & November

Intro Webinar for New Users of the RC

Monday 13.10 – 17:00-19:00 CEST

This Webinar aims at inexperienced users of the RC and should be relevant for all who want to use this platform to deviate from the standard format of academic presentations, journal articles and/or research repositories. It is also an especially useful platform for bringing together a number of researchers or students for project development, teaching and training.

In this webinar, the RC Team – Casper Schipper and Daniele Pozzi – will offer a basic introduction to the use of this platform and demonstrate hands-on some of its potential for documenting research processes and outcomes. As a RC Portal Partner, this webinar is also open to all staff and students at your institution.

Sign up to the webinar here: https://societyforartisticresearch.org/webinar_13_10_signup

 

Advanced Creation of Expositions

Monday 10.11 – 10:30-12:30 CEST

In addition to our usual new user intro webinars, we are this time doing a more open session for advanced users of RC. We will not cover any topics discussed in the normal webinar, but provide this as an opportunity to deal with more advanced topics and uses of the exposition format. Examples include using CSS, layering, embedding external elements, generating exposition content and interactivity in SVG graphics.

The specific topics discussed will depend on participant input: You will be able to provide these in the form when you enlist. We expect that partakers have already created at least a few expositions and made them public, and this may be used as a selection criterion for participation.

Sign up details will be shared in the October newsletter.