Agency for Architecture, Design, and Digital Culture

Nieuwe Instituut's International Visitors Programme stimulates international dialogue, cultural exchange and the expansion of both the market and international networks.

Every year, dozens of international professionals visit the Netherlands through the programme. Specific guests are invited by the Nieuwe Instituut at the request of national embassies and through an Open Call for cultural institutions to request a contribution for an international visitor.

The International Visitors Programme, made possible by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is a valuable instrument for the international exchange of knowledge and experience for the Dutch design field abroad. Visits regularly result in collaborations with the visiting parties and, in this way, the programme has proved to be an effective means of raising international awareness of the Dutch design sector in its broadest sense.

Visitor programmes come about in three ways - embassies can submit a request for one or more specific guest, or the Nieuwe Instituut itself can invite guests in relation to its own programme and a proposed theme or discipline. Thirdly, cultural organisations based in the Netherlands can apply to receive a contribution to a visitors programme through the Open Call.

Visitors invited in cooperation with embassies or the Nieuwe Instituut receive an intensive programme of several days put together by the Agency in consultation with the partner and guest. Visitors are introduced to relevant makers, organisations and the Nieuwe Instituut itself. If possible, the visit will be linked to a public event in the form of a lecture or presentation at Nieuwe Instituut or elsewhere.

Through the Open Call, other Dutch cultural organisations are given the opportunity to receive a contribution of up to ¬2,500 for a self-programmed multi-day programme for one or more international guests who are important to both the organisation's own programme and the Dutch professional field. The Open Call enables around 15 to 20 visits to the Netherlands each year by foreign experts. These visits stimulate international exchange and increase awareness of the Dutch design field in the broadest sense, including architecture, urban planning, (multidisciplinary) design and digital culture.

Through the Open Call for the International Visitors Programme, the Nieuwe Instituut offers cultural organisations in the Netherlands the opportunity to request a financial contribution towards the costs of inviting one or more international guest(s) to the Netherlands. These visits stimulate international exchange and increase awareness of the Dutch design field in the broadest sense, including architecture, urban planning, (multidisciplinary) design and digital culture. Details regarding the upcoming Open Call will follow soon.

Read more on the International Visitors the Nieuwe Instituut has welcomed over the years.

If you have any questions about the possibilities of this programme or the International Visitors Programmes of the Nieuwe Instituut, please contact Najiba Yasmin, Programme Manager International Visitors Programme, at n.yasmin@hetnieuweinstituut.nl.