Fraunhofer MEVIS and the Institute for Design Informatics invite PhD postgraduate students from across the University of Edinburgh, to submit playful proposals that explore and experiment with MRI technology. Successful applicant(s) will be invited to share their creative explorations with school students in Bremen during the two-week residency and with the broader public through a digital showcase of their exploration and journey and associated engagement event in Inspace during the 2026 Edinburgh Science Festival.

Selected creatives will be expected to   

• Collaborate with scientists, engineers, physicists and school students to explore and gain understanding of the research of MR sequence development.
• Contribute to an engaging STEAM workshop on their explorations in collaboration with MEVIS scientists for school students in Bremen that demystifies medical imaging for non-specialist audiences.
• Share their explorations using Fraunhofer MEVIS no-field scanner and inspired by tabletop and real MRI scanner tools based on the learning and collaborative work with scientists and students during the Residency.
• Present their exploration throughout the project in an engaging format, using digital media and through an associated event, to diverse audiences, at Inspace, at the Institute for Design Informatics in April 2026, during the Edinburgh Science Festival.

We are looking for creative proposals that:

• Critically engage with these technologies to push the boundaries of accessibility and engagement
• Use digital media to share and visualise their exploration and journey in Inspace (e.g. digital art/illustrations, video film, animation, infographics/data visualizations, creative websites/apps, video games, augmented virtual reality, projected/immersive experiences or other digital formats we’ve not mentioned)
• Offer new insights into MRI technology and its potential through an associated engagement event in Inspace (e.g. interactive talk, audience engagement activity, workshop, discussion event etc., if wished supported by the MR team to incorporate live image capture via Zoom).

All project outputs should be presented and disseminated in a way that is accessible to a range of audiences, from school students to the general public.  

For your exploration journey, you will be in close exchange and cooperation with Fraunhofer MEVIS scientists on-site in Bremen, Germany, for two weeks in November 2025 and for six further weeks remotely through scheduled interactions. Tailored to your interests, a mentor and experienced sci-art producer will guide you through the process. The residency aims to support self-driven discussion on and engagement with Fraunhofer MEVIS’ R&D, software, and MRI related technology.

Support offered by Inspace

• Access to Inspace as a venue and for development and production, which includes seven window facingprojectorplus one main space projector and sound system
• Opportunities to promote your project in Design Informatics newsletter and across our online communications channels
• Access to some equipment (e.g. projectors, 3D printers, display screens, etc.)
• Curatorial and practical support (e.g. Inspace related technical support)
• Space to exhibit a digital visualisation of your exploration and journey in Inspace in April 2026
• Successful applicants will be offered associate membership of IDI for the duration of the programme (Nov 2025 – Apr 2026)

Successful applicant(s) will receive, via the Institute for Design Informatics:

An artist stipend of 5000 EURO – this includes all creator/collaborators time for participating in the residency, associated talks/events and delivering the final showcase in Inspace.
This is based on 20 days overall and guided by the Scottish Artists Union new graduate artist residency rate
A production budget of 4000 EURO – administered by Design Informatics and reimbursed through receipts and an expense claim process
Travel costs of up to 500 EURO
Travel subsidy of 450 EURO
Artwork transportation costs of up to 250 EURO
Accommodation costs in Bremen, Germany, up to 1050 EURO

We are looking for University of Edinburgh based postgraduate PhD students, studying in design or creative fields to apply. Applicants must be able to demonstrate experience and knowledge of design thinking and methodologies as part of their practice and how they would approach creatively combining design and data in their proposal.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate their capacity to participate in this programme alongside study commitments and must not engage in any other paid contracted University of Edinburgh work for the duration of the residency.

PhD students must also provide written agreement from their supervisor stating that participation in this programme will affect neither their studies, nor their duration. Undergraduate students are unfortunately not eligible to apply.

For a pair of applicants, the lead creative named on the application will be required to submit the application form on behalf of the collaborator and will be the person who attends the two-week on-site part of the residency in Bremen and takes on responsibility for the project budget. The stipend will be split 50:50 between a collaborating pair unless otherwise requested (please note this in your application). The lead applicant must have the ability to travel to Bremen under their current VISA.

All applicants must have a UK address for the duration of the Residency and Science Engagement programme and also have proof of right to work in the UK to be eligible to apply.

Nov 2025 – 2 week visit in Bremen including contributing to a STEAM school workshop jointly with the scientists (if pair – one must be nominated to travel to Bremen and the fee split)
Nov 2025 – Mar 2026 – remote exchange with Fraunhofer MEVIS scientists available (for concept development)
Dec 2025 – Communications deadline – project title, summary and promotional image submission
Jan – Mar 2026 – further, but more limited, remote exchange with Fraunhofer scientists available upon request and for exhibition and event preparation
Jan 2026 – Technical Rider deadline – presentation requirements for digital showcase 
Mar 2026 – Install Rehearsal in Inspace 
Apr 2026 – Delivery of digital showcase and associated engagement event in Inspace

Important Note: Please review the dates/timeline requirements for this opportunity and speak with your supervisor to make sure this will work with your studies. The successful applicant (or project lead, if applying as a pair) will need to be able to travel to Bremen under their current VISA. 

Applicants must submit their online application along with emailing the supporting material (portfolio, CV and budget) to designinformatics@ed.ac.uk by Monday 2 June 2025 at 10.00 GMT

Application
Applications in writing are preferred but video recorded submissions with transcript are also accepted if required to support accessibility.

Please contact designinformatics@ed.ac.uk if you require the application form in another format or if you have further access requirements you would like to discuss.

Supporting material
In addition to the online application, applicants must also email to Design Informatics the following supporting material as a single PDF attachment:
Portfolio – (10MB max.) including details of 3 previous projects with text descriptions for each (100 words max.) along with either images (6 max. overall) or for moving-image and sound documentation, please provide links to
YouTube, Vimeo or Soundcloud files (10 minutes max. overall).
CV – (2-sided A4 page max.)
Budget – You can access a budget template in Word here:

Additional material

Access rider (optional) – If there are certain access needs that you would like us to be aware of when connecting and working with you, please feel free to submit an Access Rider Form. You can find a template in Word here:

Please contact designinformatics@ed.ac.uk if you require this document in another format. See also Access Docs for Artists for more information.

Equality monitoring form (optional) – We also invite all applicants to complete our equality monitoring form, which helps Design Informatics and Inspace to understand the people, regions and communities that are connecting with us and the places and people that are currently missing from our network. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: We are committed to equality of opportunity, and we value and promote the diversity of our participants’ skills and therefore welcome all applications – regardless of age, gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion, ideology, disability, sexual orientation, and identity. We also seek to locate and amplify under-represented voices and perspectives through our creative programme and work to promote a positive culture, one that celebrates difference, challenges prejudice and ensures fairness and respect.

Your submission will be considered by a panel including members of the Institute for Design Informatics at the University of Edinburgh and the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS:

Prof. Matthias Günther – Deputy Institute Director, Head of MR-Imaging, Fraunhofer MEVIS
Bianka Hofmann – Head of Science Engagement, STEAM Imaging Program Lead, Fraunhofer MEVIS
Nicola Osborne – Institute Manager, Design Informatics
Miriam Walsh – Inspace Manager, Design Informatics
Evan Morgan – Research Software Engineer, Design Informatics

When selecting creative proposals, the panel will check eligibility and assess the quality of your submission based on:

• the strength of the vision behind the concept and the proposed engagement with MRI technology through the combination of design thinking and data science
• the creative and playful dimensions of the proposed concept and your capacity to deliver the proposed showcase and engagement activity to broader audiences in Inspace
• the openness to collaborate with scientists to widen existing MRI STEAM workshop activities to be co-delivered to school students
• how proposals demonstrate their interest in STEM topics, capable of bringing the topic of digital medicine to life, and offering new insights or perspectives for audiences
• how the proposal shows that it is realizable within the available budget and timeframe.

The panel will base their decision solely on the submitted material, so it is important that your submission clearly demonstrates the quality and ambition of your vision.