Craft, fashion and technology in Europe

Overview

The make-a-thek Mobility Scheme and Knowledge Exchange Programme connects learners, practitioners, makers, craftspeople, and librarians across Europe to share skills in circular fashion, traditional crafts, and technology. Up to 12 participants per track are supported each year through a rolling open call.

Two Tracks

• Track A (Mobility Scheme): For experienced practitioners (make-a-thek Experts). Travel to an EU pilot location, develop and lead a workshop/talk/training session, and receive a €1,000 stipend.
• Track B (Knowledge Exchange Programme): For learners, practitioners, makers, craftspeople, and librarians. Travel to Barcelona or Berlin for a 2-day in-person meet-up, learn new skills, and receive an €850 stipend.

Thematic Areas

• Circular Fashion: textile repair, upcycling materials, sustainable fashion production (e.g. zero-waste sewing, mending classes).
• Digitising Traditional Crafts: blending historical crafts with emerging technology (e.g. 3D scanning, laser cutting, digital heritage displays).
• Open Technologies: sharing designs, methods, and tools openly (e.g. open-source machines, community library tools).

Pilot Destinations

• Antwerp (Belgium)
• Barcelona (Spain)
• Berlin (Germany)
• Budapest (Hungary)
• Helsinki (Finland)
• Kranj (Slovenia)
• Milan (Italy)
• Opole (Poland)
• Reykjavík (Iceland)
• Kyiv (Ukraine)
• Zaporizhzhia (Ukraine)

Selection Criteria

• Replicability: Is your knowledge easy to pass on to others? Can another library easily adopt or adapt your workshop?
• Sustainability: Does your idea use circular/regenerative principles such as upcycling, repair, or open-source tools?