The OBEL Teaching Fellowship brings practitioners from the built environment into university classrooms to teach subjects that most architecture schools are not yet engaging with seriously. Now in its fourth edition, the program pairs a selected fellow with a host institution and gives them the funding and institutional backing to design and teach a course around architecture’s most urgent critical questions.
About the OBEL Teaching Fellowship
Administered by the OBEL Foundation, an arm of the Henrik F. Obel Foundation, the fellowship bridges the persistent gap between professional practice and academic education in architecture, urbanism, and related built environment disciplines. The 2026 cycle centers on the theme Systems’ Hack, which asks how architecture can critically engage with the systems underpinning contemporary society, from infrastructure and energy to food, water, education, and information. Courses developed under the fellowship are expected to begin in 2027 or shortly thereafter.
Funding Size
- Up to €75,000 per fellowship
- Funds are administered by the host institution under a Memorandum of Understanding
- Funds may not be used for student trips, student stipends, or promotional publications
Who Can Apply
- Educators, researchers, architects, and urban planners with a demonstrated background in the built environment
- Applicants must apply jointly with a confirmed host institution; individual applications are not accepted
- The proposed course must align with the 2026 Systems’ Hack theme
- Fellows are expected to remain in residence at the host institution for the duration of the course and may not commute in and out for classes
Geographic Eligibility
- Open globally
- Applications are accepted from prospective fellows and host institutions worldwide
Sector or Thematic Focus
- Critical architectural engagement with societal systems including infrastructure, energy, food, water, education, and information
- Built environment education reform and new course development
- Sustainability, resource systems, and transformative design practice
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Application Process
Joint applications from the prospective fellow and the host institution are submitted online through the official OBEL Foundation website. The host institution typically signs an MOU agreeing to administer funds on behalf of the fellow. Ideally the fellow leads two courses within the fellowship period, though one intensive course may qualify where the format justifies it.
Required Materials
- Joint application from the prospective fellow and the host institution
- Course proposal demonstrating alignment with the Systems’ Hack theme
- MOU or equivalent documentation from the host institution
- Budget submitted and approved as part of the joint application
Key Dates
- Application deadline: 1 August 2026, midnight CEST
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Selection Notes
- Course proposals are evaluated with input from independent academics alongside the OBEL Foundation
- The program prioritizes new voices bringing fresh professional perspectives not already present in the host institution
- Receiving funding in a prior edition does not disqualify an applicant from future cycles