In October 2010 started, on the initiative of the Hochschule für bildende Künste and the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S., the international exchange program Art School Alliance with the goal of intensifying links and exchange with famous art universities in the USA, China and Europe.

The Art School Alliance and the associated grants allow twelve international art students per year a semester to live and study in Hamburg without paying rent or study fees. Studio apartments have been provided on two floors of a factory building in the Karolinenstrasse - at the heart of the culture scene, between St. Pauli and the Schanzenviertel district.

In turn, up to 12 HFBK students will spend a semester at partner universities abroad without paying student fees, having acted as mentors for exchange students in Hamburg in a previous semester. The HFBK will choose students to take part in this exchange programme in an internal selection process.

Academic achievements will be certified by the host university and recognised by all universities taking part in the programme. The combination of living and working in a new context should also promote an intensive exchange of ideas and experiences for both local and international students.

The Art School Alliance allows the HFBK to extend the international network for its students and graduates and to help them find a place in the global art scene.

The programme will initially run for five years, and may then be extended. Grants will be awarded every six months, generally from October to March and from April to September.

The Art School Alliance is financed via third-party funds. The HFBK is able to deepen its cooperation with leading art universities worldwide and to give its students an international arena to operate in thanks to generous sponsorship from the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S., the Berenberg Bank and the Karl H. Ditze Stiftung. We would also like to thank the SAGA GWG for its kind support.