Open call: Round 2 of our ‘Research in Place’ residencies

Cities are never neutral — they reflect power, privilege and policy. Who has the ‘rights’ to a place? If you are a researcher asking critical questions about spatial justice and who cities are for, we invite you to apply.

We are launching the second round of our open call for the ‘Research in Place’ residency at our London studio. This residency will offer researchers dedicated time and space to advance their independent work on themes of rights, spatial justice, cities and regeneration as part of our ‘Right to Place’ initiative. We’re providing this opportunity to deepen enquiry, exchange ideas and contribute to critical discussions on spatial justice.

Save Soanes Research and Advocacy Team were selected for the first of these residencies through an incredibly energising open call process. We heard from an inspiring range of individuals and collectives — spanning activists, academics, experienced practitioners, social scientists, urban researchers, historians and more.

The Save Soanes Research and Advocacy Team stood out with a thoughtful, grounded and imaginative proposal rooted in their ongoing campaign to protect the Soanes Centre, a space of ecological, educational and intergenerational importance in Tower Hamlets. Their residency explores urgent spatial justice themes including the displacement of social infrastructure, belonging and youth-led activism. It’s driven by both lived experience and a commitment to long-term, collective change.

You could be next.

You might be an early career researcher, academic, established practitioner or research collective interested in exploring themes around spatial justice, inclusivity, equality, placemaking and power. Perhaps you have a background in urban studies, social sciences, geography or economics and are passionate about fairness in our city’s infrastructure, policies and economic change.

This is an exciting opportunity to spend time in our studio environment, shape your own ideas and exchange knowledge with the Urban Research Unit and wider multidisciplinary team at We Made That. It is a chance to be in a creative and collaborative space to explore new models, practices and methodologies while interacting with our team.

What we offer

• Free studio space for 3 months: Dedicated desk space, storage, access to meeting space in our London studio, including essentials such as wifi, printing, tea and coffee
• Support and co-learning opportunities:Mentorship and dialogue sessions with our multidisciplinary team
• Access and exposure: Expand your network, engage with the themes of our ongoing work and gain insight through a range of activity on ‘Right to Place’

Who can apply?

We welcome responses to the open call from early career researchers, academics, established practitioners or research collectives.

• Your research proposal should be related to the research you carry out during the residency period
• You likely reside or are able to commit to travelling into London throughout the programme
• Your residency proposal and time here will be self-funded and you must be able to support yourself for the duration of the programme. You will be responsible for providing your own IT equipment, software and materials
• You must have the right to live and work in the UK
• You’ll be asked to share and contribute to co-learning, such as writing a written piece on the purpose of your research and your time with us, lead a show and tell session with our team on your research and potentially get involved in our roundtables or events, which will involve public speaking
• We encourage working in our office space as much as possible to fully engage with the studio environment and maximise co-learning opportunities (If you are applying as a collective, we can only accommodate up to 2 researchers based at our studio)

How to apply

Please apply via the short online application form. Within this please submit a concise proposal which outlines how your research or practice responds to themes of rights, spatial justice and place-based research.

Apply here now

Applications will be assessed by our Studio and Impact Coordinator, Head of People and team members from the Urban Research Unit. The specific outputs of your research will largely be based on your proposal, but this could include one or more of the following:

• A short article to be published on our website and social channels introducing your research, findings and reflections
• Feed into our internal team workshops and lead a team-wide ‘show and tell’ session on your research
• Contribute to our roundtable discussions and other events in our practice activities focusing on rights and place

Timeline

Round 2

Applications open: 22.07.2025

Application deadline: 22.08.2025

Selection process and interviews: 01.09.2025 – 19.09.2025

Research in place residency begins: October (exact dates to be mutually agreed)

If you have any specific access needs or additional requirements, please get in touch with Niharika at studio@wemadethat.co.uk to guide you through the application process. We can also accept offline applications from applicants who have requested additional support.