Mobility First! – ASEF Cultural Mobility Initiative

UPDATE related to COVID-19: 

The health & safety of our grantees & partners are paramount and we are committed to supporting the safe distancing measures implemented by governments in Asia & Europe.

As such, the Mobility First! 2020 General Open Call for 51 countries is now cancelled. Meanwhile, the Special Open Call for Women & Minority Groups with Prince Claus Fund and the Special Open Call for Global South Mobility with Cambodian Living Arts are postponed until further notice.

Our sincere apologies for the inconvenience. The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) and the Mobility First! team will continue monitoring the situation carefully. Applicants who have applied to us previously are advised to reapply when the special calls reopen. Please check our website for updates.

Read more about Mobility First!’s response to Covid-19 here.

In the meantime, #stayconnected and #stayinspired by the social initiatives of Mobility First! alumni here.

Goals

• To promote wider and more balanced exchanges of artists and cultural professionals between Asia and Europe(SDGs 4.4 skills for employment; 5.5 women’s leadership; 10.7 regular mobility of people; 11a links between urban & peripheries)
• To nurture long-term alliances between Asian and European artists based on trust, reciprocity and fairness (SDG 10a preferential treatment)
• To consolidate ASEF’s role as a funder, facilitator and information hub on cultural mobility
• Channel civil society voices on cultural mobility to UNESCO every 2 years (SDG 17.17 civil society partnerships)

Activities

• General Open Call travel grant scheme
• Special Open Call for Global South Mobility, in partnership with Cambodian Living Arts
• Special Open Call for Women and Minority Groups, in partnership with the Prince Claus Fund
• Special Open Call for nationals of Bangladesh, India, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Pakistan and Viet Nam,with support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Mobility First! microsite