The Media Studies Grant call for proposals is open until March 15th, 2026.

The 2026 Call for Proposals for the Media Studies Grant is now open for applications. The FIAT/IFTA Media Studies Commission is looking to commission two small-scale research projects that deal with one or more of the following core themes: audiovisual archives and public service value, memory and identity through the lens of audiovisual archives, precarity in audiovisual archives, and audiovisual archives in the Latin American context.

The Media Studies Grant aims to promote archive-based research and ensure the valorization of scientific knowledge for archival practice. Junior and senior researchers from across different disciplines (e.g. media studies, history, sociology, political sciences, cultural studies, environmental studies, anthropology, conflict studies, etc.) are encouraged to apply. We particularly encourage researchers from outside Europe to apply.

Requirements

• Candidates are required to send in their application in PDF format by 15 March 2026;
• Applications should be emailed to: msc@fiatifta.org.
• Awarded candidates need to sign a funding agreement with FIAT/IFTA;
• Awarded candidates should report back on their work in progress to the Media Studies Commission at regular intervals, as specified in the funding agreement;
• Awarded candidates are expected to deliver by the end of their grant period:
  • A written research report at the quality standards of a scholarly article but written for a readership made up of broadcast archivists.
  • A discussion of their research findings at the FIAT/IFTA World Conference in São Paulo, Brazil, 6-9 October 2026, pitched to an audience of FIAT/IFTA members.
  • A short video to be distributed further on social media and which highlights some of the interesting discoveries, curiosities or inspirations of their research.
  • Other forms of creative output aiming to disseminate the research findings to a wider audience are encouraged (e.g. audiovisual essay, an interactive digital story, creative demo, etc.). Please make sure there are no copyright restrictions for the archival material you may want to re-use in this type of output.
• All output needs to mention the support of FIAT/IFTA and should be made available to FIAT/IFTA.
• Candidates may be asked for promotional interviews and/or to share their research progress during an online session.
• FIAT/IFTA reserves the right to make accessible the output of funded studies on its own website.
• Proposed studies can be part of a bigger project (e.g. a PhD dissertation, book project, etc.) or can be stand-alone research initiatives that the candidate wishes to pursue.