Research-in-Progress: Developing Strategies from Concept to Communication
We are delighted to invite researchers, scholars, artists, and practitioners from any field engaged with music and the arts to participate in the GRS International Summer School 2026. This blended-learning course integrates online preparation with in-person activities at Høgskulen på Vestlandet’s Stord campus, 16–18 June.
About the Summer school
Research in the arts—whether academic, artistic, or practice-based—moves through a range of phases from conceptual development and fieldwork to experimentation, analysis, writing, and dissemination. Each stage brings distinct challenges, that require diverse approaches and forms of knowledge. The summer school offers collaborative and stimulating environment for PhD candidates and early-career researchers to share research-in-progress, discuss emerging ideas and evolving approaches, and receive constructive feedback from peers and senior researchers.
Programme
The core of the programme is the individual research project presentations, which create an active space for participants to share work-in-progress. The course emphasises dialogue, collaboration, and cross-disciplinary exchange, encouraging participants to work with a range of presentation formats and styles including digital approaches.
In addition, the programme includes two skills development sessions: Writing as Research Workshop and Ethics Lab. These interactive sessions focus on practical tools and critical approaches that strengthen research practice and address key challenges in writing, collaboration, and ethics.
Writing as Research Workshop
Explores writing for research—academic, artistic, and practice-based—as both an analytical and creative process. This session introduces approaches to academic, reflective/reflexive, and narrative writing, offering practical tools for articulating processes and overcoming writing blocks. Participants will have space to discuss their own writing challenges and experiment with strategies for generating text.
Ethics Lab
Addresses pressing ethical questions in arts research, focusing on collaboration, authorship, and the growing role of AI. Through dialogue and practical exercises, participants will work with issues arising from their own projects and develop strategies for navigating these complexities.
Blended Course Format
The GRS summer school combines a preparatory online course with in-person sessions at Stord, 16–18 June. The online part of the course offers a flexible structure with peer group support and mentorship, guiding participants in developing presentation materials and exploring diverse formats, including digital formats that enhance understanding of research communication and dissemination.
Who Can Join
While GRS traditionally focuses on music and sound practices, this summer school extends an open invitation to researchers working in sister disciplines of dance, drama, performance art, visual arts, design and related fields.
Why Participate
The programme focuses on developing individual research projects while strengthening dialogic skills and fostering interdisciplinary exchange. It includes dedicated sessions on writing and ethics, key areas for all researchers, while offering practical tools and fresh perspectives that advance research across diverse arts contexts.
Partipants also have the opportunity to experience the beautiful Stord campus and its surrounding nature, and to connect with peers and mentors, building collaborations and networks that extend well beyond the event.