The program ‘Object Lab: Seed Funding for Teaching’ supports teachers and students across disciplines in shaping academic questions and seminar work in cooperation with society. The aim is to integrate questions, experience and knowledge from society into teaching and university work with students, to learn from various actors in civil society, culture or politics and create an equal exchange.

The office for “Knowledge Exchange with Society” at the Center for Cultural Technique supports seminars that work in a transdisciplinary or participatory way and include elements of exchange with society or public engagement. This may include:

• Cooperation with appropriate societal actors / organizations
• Cooperation in the organization or presentation of course content; in the form of co-teaching or using other methods that aim to incorporate expertise from outside academia
• Course design with aspects of community-based research/learning
• Cooperation with society within a seminar by students, in course projects or final theses
• Cooperation with social groups or organizations for the presentation/display of course results
• Courses that combine material practices, object- or body-centered approaches in teaching with external collaborations

Support is provided through:

• Funding of course materials up to 1,000 euros per seminar
• Use of space at the Object Lab on the North Campus, including flexible room equipment
• Occasional event assistance by arrangement
• Support/advice from HU team Knowledge exchange with society (approx. 2h per week)

Eligible for funding are:

• Courses that are transdisciplinary or include elements of exchange with society
• BA or MA seminars by members of the Center for Cultural Technique, HU Berlin
• Seminars that can take place in the Object Lab on Campus North or establish a spatial reference to the space through workshops/parts of the seminar work
• Seminars that take place in SoSe 2025 or WiSe 2025/26
• Material costs that are spent for coursework within the calendar year 2025 (expenses are paid by the Center for Cultural Technique or the assigned WBS element)

Members of the Center for Cultural Technique are eligible to apply in the first funding phase:

• Please contact Xenia Muth or Leonie Kubigsteltig or send a short inquiry to hzk@hu-berlin.de to register your interest
• Expression of interest for the SoSe 2025 should be received by 26.01.2025