Procedures & Admission

The Fondation d’entreprise Martell is a research, dialogue and awareness-raising platform focused on the Living. It gives priority support to innovative projects with a regenerative dimension, whether pragmatic approaches such as eco-design, more sensitive approaches, or initiatives combining art and science, aiming to open new ways to build a resilient and equitable future. Valuing local resources, this program promoted knowledge-sharing, cross fertilization and material hybridization, in close dialogue with the local area.

Public events are organised once the residence is over enabling craftsmen and researches to present the project they developed within their residency.

Call for applications

Criteria required to participate in the residence program

Fondation d’entreprise Martell’s call for applications is aimed at designers, architects, artists, and humanities researchers (philosophers, anthropologists, historians, writers…) who wish to benefit from time dedicated to research and writing, creation and/or production. Every year, around 15 creators are welcomed for residency periods of one to three months.

The call for applications is open to people of any age, living in France or abroad, who can demonstrate a significant or emerging career. We welcome applications from duos or interdisciplinary collectives working on a common project.

Residency Orientations

The residencies are mainly focused on transitional design projects on the basis of their transformative potential and their ability to link together creation, society, and science.

For the purpose of collective intelligence, the submitted projects should be aimed at developing thinking about the region, local resources, and vernacular expertise…. Collaborations with local, national, and international partners are encouraged.

The projects must be committed to searching for sustainable solutions to the challenges relating to ecological transition. They may take the form of:

  • pragmatic approaches to eco-social design
  • innovations based on experimental vernacular practices
  • artistic approaches that question the state of the world
  • potentially hybrid projects or collaborative initiatives combining art and science.

Selection Criteria

  • The project’s commitment to ecological and social transition issues.
  • How is the issue of saving the region’s resources and managing their transition addressed?
  • The quality of the project’s artistic and/or scientific intent.
  • The applicant’s references in the areas of creation and/or research.
  • Autonomy with regard to research and production (ability to use investigative and production tools)
  • Technical feasibility in terms of local resources and the means of the Foundation.

Assistance and Support

  • Duration: variable depending on the nature of the project (production, research), from 1 to 3 months.
    Residents have access to production assistance:
    – A weekly residence allowance of 375 euros (including tax) is provided to the resident, consisting of a living allowance of 125 euros (calculated on the basis of 25 euros / day) and a research and creation fee of 250 euros per week.
    – Production costs will be defined according to the budget presented in the application, subject to formal validation by the Foundation. These expenses will be reimbursed to the resident creator on presentation of an invoice and receipts, with a maximum of 4000 euros.
  • Access to production workshops at the Ateliers du Faire (glass, ceramics, wood, textile, screen printing, etc.)
  • Personalized support from the workshop manager
  • Accommodation and meals: Residents are accommodated at the expense of the Foundation in a collective housing in the heart of Cognac, with private rooms and common living spaces. The Foundation also offers coverage for access to the company restaurant for lunch from Monday to Friday. Other meals, including lunches off-site if necessary, remain the responsibility of the resident.

Application Process

  • The application dossier must be written in French or English and must be comprised of the six elements below, in the stipulated order, on the basis of which the jury will make their decision:
    • A résumé (max. 2 pages).
    • An artistic dossier or portfolio presenting the candidate’s previous achievements and demonstrating their artistic approach or career (links to a website or an online portfolio are accepted).
    • A statement of intent outlining the candidate’s objectives, the project’s direction, its innovative or novel dimension, the media envisaged, and their suitability for the positioning of Fondation d’entreprise Martell ( 5 pages).
    • A summary (bibliography) of the state of the art for the project if it is research-based.
    • A technical dossier demonstrating the project’s feasibility, explaining the technical requirements necessary for its execution (equipment, materials, premises, external services), its indicative schedule for execution, and a provisional budget detailing the costs of the requirements.