Schaufler Lab@TU Dresden to Launch in 2027 with a New Focus Area: “Energy Cultures in Transition”

Schaufler Lab@TU Dresden to Launch in 2027 with New Focus Area: “Energy Cultures in Transition”

Between Coal, AI, and Climate Transition

The third funding phase brings together scientific and artistic perspectives on energy, the energy transition, and social change—eight doctoral fellowships and one Schaufler Residency are now open for applications

In the summer semester of 2027, the Schaufler Lab@TU Dresden will embark on a new funding phase. Under the overarching theme “Energy Cultures in Transition,” the interdisciplinary research and art program will explore the cultural, material, ecological, and societal dimensions of energy and energy transitions.

Energy is more than a technical resource: It shapes how societies organize their daily lives, understand progress, distribute power and resources, and define their relationship with nature. Energy transitions are therefore always cultural transformations as well. The Schaufler Lab@TU Dresden examines these interconnections from various perspectives, bringing together scientific research and artistic practice.

At the Schaufler Lab@TU Dresden, scholars from the humanities and social sciences, as well as artists, investigate the relationships between technology, science, and society. The Schaufler Kolleg@TU Dresden and the Schaufler Residency@TU Dresden, located at the Office for Academic Heritage, Scientific and Art Collections, form the two equal pillars of the program and connect scientific research with artistic practice.

A particular strength of the Schaufler Lab@TU Dresden lies in its affiliation with TUD Dresden University of Technology. Here, research in the humanities and social sciences, as well as artistic practice, directly intersect with engineering and natural science disciplines. This creates an interdisciplinary space in which the energy transition can be viewed not only as a technological challenge but also as a social and cultural task.

Dresden and the Region as a Starting Point

Dresden and the surrounding region offer a particularly suitable starting point for this. The region’s history and present reveal how different forms of energy production and use are linked to societal changes—from coal and uranium to hydro, wind, and solar energy, and on to the growing energy demands of an increasingly digitized economy. This raises questions of change, justice, and sustainability, as well as technological development and societal responsibility.

The goal of the new funding phase is to lay the groundwork for new visions of technology, industry, and the energy transition that prioritize ecological sustainability and democratic stability. The humanities and social sciences make an important contribution to this effort: They enable us to examine energy transitions as cultural processes and to reveal how ideas, practices, and social relationships change in the wake of energy transformations.

Eight Ph.D. Fellowships and Annual Artist-in-Residence Programs

Starting in April 2027, the Schaufler Lab@TU Dresden will support eight doctoral candidates as part of the Schaufler Kolleg@TU Dresden. The doctoral fellowships have a duration of 3.5 years and come with a monthly stipend of 2,000 euros.

The Schaufler Residency@TU Dresden is awarded annually and is based at the Office for Academic Heritage, Scientific and Art Collections of TU Dresden. The six-month residency is funded at a rate of 3,000 euros per month and is aimed at artists who engage with the overarching theme “Energy Cultures in Transition” within the interdisciplinary environment of the Schaufler Lab@TU Dresden. Through exchange with the academic community at TU Dresden and by drawing on its teaching and research collections, artists can develop artistic perspectives on energy, material and technological infrastructures, and their social and ecological transformations.

Calls for applications for these funding opportunities are published on the Schaufler Lab@TU Dresden website as well as via the program’s newsletter and social media channels.

The calls for proposals are subject to the approval of the corresponding funding.

The Schaufler Lab@TU Dresden, a project of TU Dresden and THE SCHAUFLER FOUNDATION, is a vibrant forum for forward-looking dialogue between science, art, and society. Here, young scientists and artists come together to transcend disciplinary boundaries and critically examine current technologies, their origins, and their impacts on modern life.