The ECIU member universities, to which UA belongs, have launched a Seed Programme to enhance collaboration and innovation among their partners, including travel grants and challenge-based research initiatives. Projects can last up to 24 months and up to 13.000€ per project may be funded.
Deadline: 15 October 2024
In this call you have two different tools to apply:
Blended Mobility to Create Networks (Seed Programme 1 – SP 1) to promote inter-institutional collaboration through the blended exchange of research and innovation staff to create new networks or leverage existing networks. Its main aims are:
- To support for the development of networks based on a joint research and innovation plan to work on future collaborative proposals (EU or other funding programmes) and to provide answers to urban/regional challenges in the five strategic research fields.
- To share knowledge via blended mobility (secondments of research and innovations staff combined with peer in virtual environment).
For these projects, UA makes available a maximum of 7.000€ per project coordinated by UA and 5.000€ per project with the participation of UA. A maximum of 2 projects will be funded, independently of the research fields.
Seed Projects (Seed Programme 2 – SP 2) which focus on setting up new or strengthening existing R&I projects linked to shared challenges in the involved regional ecosystems. For this action, ECIU University invites researchers to apply the challenge-based approach. Its main aims are:
- To initiate or strengthen interinstitutional and Intersectoral R&I seed projects linked to challenges of the regional ecosystems.
- To support the development of research and innovation activities aiming at solving real-life challenges identified by the surrounding communities/citizens. Priority is given to interregional challenges.
For these projects, UA makes available a maximum of 13.000€ per project coordinated by UA and 10.000€ per project with the participation of UA. A maximum of 5 projects will be funded, independently of the research fields.
In both SP, the participation of PhDs and/or Master students is mandatory and travel and subsistence costs of regional external stakeholders are eligible.
In addition, you have available a mobility fund of up to 5.000€ per stay at an ECIU partner. Researcher Mobility Fund is in general open to all disciplines with preferences given to applications addressing the common research fields under the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable cities and communities). The funding covers costs for travels (e.g., tickets of bus, train and flights) and associated subsistence costs (e.g., accommodation and travel allowance). If experiments are planned, coverage of lab costs (including access) needs to be agreed between participating member institutions before the mobility. Applicants are obliged to have a minimum stay of 5 working days (excluding travel days). This call is not presently opened but you should bear this mechanism in mind.
Additional information and how to apply to the seed programme here. For more details on the ECIU Researcher Mobility Fund please see here.
In case you have questions, you should contact Vera Fernandes, from the Research Support Office of UA (GAI).