Want to become a
Talent in Residence?

Talents in Residence (TiR) is the programme promoted by Polifactory since 2015, aimed at supporting the development and prototyping of ideas developed by young designers at Politecnico di Milano. It is an opportunity offered free of charge to students of Master’s Degrees in Design, Mechanical Engineering, Electronics, Information Technology and Bioengineering, to support the development of their thesis projects.

The residency is based on an experimental and peer-to-peer learning model, which allows designers to test and materialise their ideas: from prototyping a product solution or some of its parts and components, to experimenting with IoT solutions through physical computing, to experimenting with technologies or processes for digital manufacturing.

To date, over 70 students have joined the program and successfully developed their thesis projects.

Participating in the Talents in Residence program means taking part in an experience that allows to:

• Discover and experiment with the various practices inherent to digital making and manufacturing.
• Earn the operating principles of places such as makerspaces, including their operational, social, and collaborative dynamics.
• Become part of an interdisciplinary community of innovators, getting to know and collaborating on an equal basis with other students, teachers, and researchers from different disciplines.
• Assist the team in organizing scientific, experimental, and cultural activities.

Applications for the Talents in Residence program take place through specific open calls, which will be launched three times a year, in the months of September-October, January-February, and June-July. 

Each Open Call will last 4 weeks, and applications received will be evaluated within 15 days after the call’s closure. Each call will specify the maximum number of participants admitted, depending on available capacity and space.

It will be possible to submit your application outside the official Open Call windows using the form available below by clicking on APPLY (next section below). Such applications will be considered only in the event of available spots within the makerspace.

Application procedure

• Review the list of Thematic Areas and identify the one that best matches your profile.
• Through the Polifactory website, in the dedicated section, complete the application form and attach your CV and portfolio (in any preferred format).
• If selected, you will be invited to a short interview to discuss your application in detail and formally initiate your residency period.

At the end of the process, the outcome of your application will be communicated via email, either confirming acceptance or notifying rejection.

The submitted proposals will be evaluated individually according to the timelines indicated above.

To be considered eligible for the programme, applicants must:

• Be submitted at least 6 months before the hypothetical graduation session chosen.
• Involve the development of a research thesis and not a consolidation thesis.
• Address one of the Research Lines proposed by Polifactory.
• Involve the development of a project that includes tangible/material components.
• Involve the development of a project that can be at least partially prototyped using the tools and technologies available at Polifactory.

The period in Residence includes a minimum duration of 3 months and a maximum duration of 9 months.

During this period each Talent will have a maximum number of 15 hours of support from Polifactory staff members, and is required to be present in the laboratory for at least 3 days a week.

During the Residency period, the Talent will also have the opportunity to actively contribute to the Open Polifactory public engagement program and to any research activities carried out within the space.

The starting date of the residency period will be established with the admitted candidates according to the progress of their project, and in any case not before the research phase of the project has a clear direction and/or is at an advanced stage.

Contatti e info

If you have any doubts or need more information? you can send an email to polifactory@polimi.it