Funding

The Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) has launched the 2025 call for its Research Development Fund (RDF), which offers grants of up to £10,000 to support international research collaborations among academic staff at WUN member institutions.

Proposals should align with WUN’s focus on sustainable development and demonstrate the added value of working across borders and contexts. This year, WUN particularly encourages proposals addressing themes such as:

• social justice and inequality;
• urbanization, energy, food and water security;
• mental, maternal, and ageing-related health;
• the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence.

Each project must involve at least three (3) WUN member universities from at least two global regions. While the fund is open to researchers at all career stages, there is a strong emphasis on leadership by Early Career Researchers. Projects should be designed to catalyse future collaboration with the potential to secure major external funding.

As the University of Exeter may lead on a maximum of two proposals, an internal selection process will take place ahead of the final submission to WUN:

1. Internal Application Process – to shortlist up to two Exeter-led proposals.
   Deadline: 11 September 2025
2. WUN Central Application Process – final submission and review by WUN.
   Deadline: 17 October 2025

NB: There is no limit on the number of projects where Exeter academics are named as co-investigators.

If you are considering leading or joining a proposal, or would like support identifying collaborators, please contact Emma Clarke via GP-Funding@exeter.ac.uk

Please see guidelines and internal application form below.

WUN RDF 2025 Exeter Call Guidelines

WUN RDF 2025 Exeter Internal Form

We are pleased to announce the latest call for members of our academic community to teach for 1 semester at Venice International University, as part of VIU’s Globalization Programme. This call is for Academic Year 2028-29.

Academic Year 2028 – 2029

• 1^st Semester (September – December 2028)
• 2^nd semester (Feb – May 2029)

Full details on the call can be found on the VIU website here: http://www.univiu.org/study/globalization-program/teaching-viu/call-for-lectureships. Interested professors can also join online info sessions on July 22 for interest in teaching in the Globalization Programme.

The application process will be supported by the Global Partnerships Team, who will collect proposals according to the following schedule:

Thursday 18^th September 2025: Call for Lectureships Closes. Exeter selection panel meets to review applications.

Friday 26^th September 2025: Selected proposals submitted to VIU.

November 2025: VIU’s Academic Council meets to choose Globalisation Programmes, after which all applicants will be notified of final decisions.

All guidelines and application form can be found below. If you have further questions, in the first instance please contact Stuart Westhead s.westhead@exeter.ac.uk.

VIU Appendix 1 - Guidelines for Professors

VIU Appendix 2 - Structure & Course Abstracts

VIU - Call for Applications Lectureships

VIU - Application Form Globalisation Programme

The University of Exeter and Université Paris-Saclay are delighted to announce the first edition of the Bilateral Strategic Funding Scheme, launched following the agreement signing, for a three-year period. This funding is open to teams across all scientific disciplines, with priority given to the following areas:

• Environment and Climate Science
• Law and Social Sciences
• Artificial Intelligence and Data Sciences
• Sport and Health Sciences
• Global Health, One Health, and Antimicrobial Resistance

Seed Fund Grant — Call now open

The Seed Fund Grant supports short-term mobility for teaching and research staff from both institutions.

• Maximum funding: €2,000 / £1,700
• Application deadline: 20 October 2025

Application forms and detailed guidelines for the Seed Fund are available below.

• If you are applying from Université Paris-Saclay, please direct your questions and submit applications to: strategic.partnerships@universite-paris-saclay.fr
• If you are applying from the University of Exeter, please contact: GP-Funding@exeter.ac.uk

Exeter - Paris-Saclay Seed Fund Grant Guidelines

Exeter - Paris-Saclay Seed Fund Grant Application Form

The University of Exeter and Université Paris-Saclay are delighted to announce the first edition of the Bilateral Strategic Funding Scheme, launched following the agreement signing, for a three-year period. This funding is open to teams across all scientific disciplines, with priority given to the following areas:

• Environment and Climate Science
• Law and Social Sciences
• Artificial Intelligence and Data Sciences
• Sport and Health Sciences
• Global Health, One Health, and Antimicrobial Resistance

Accelerator Grant— Call now open

The Accelerator Grant supports larger-scale initiatives aimed at securing external funding and/or delivering high-impact outputs. Proposals are expected from academic teams at both institutions with established collaboration and complementary expertise.

• Maximum funding: €10,000 / £8,500
• Application deadline: 20 October 2025

Application forms and detailed guidelines for the Accelerator Fund are available below.

• If you are applying from Université Paris-Saclay, please direct your questions and submit applications to: strategic.partnerships@universite-paris-saclay.fr
• If you are applying from the University of Exeter, please contact: GP-Funding@exeter.ac.uk

Exeter - Paris-Saclay Accelerator Grant Guidelines

Exeter - Paris-Saclay Accelerator Grant Application Form

The Faculty of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) and Global Partnerships are pleased to announce a third round of our internal HASS Global funding opportunity, aimed at fostering and expanding relationships with key global partners of strategic importance to the Faculty and the University. Any academic staff member within HASS is eligible to apply.

This year, funding is available for collaborations with specified strategic or emerging partners and networks based in several global regions.

The scheme is directed towards strengthening important collaborations in North America, China, India, and SE Asian regions with a view to enhancing prospects of attracting students through the progression and articulation pathways that have been established or are in advanced discussion.

KEY CALL DATES 

Funding Call Opens	4 August 2025
Application Deadline	28 September 2025
Applicants notified of outcome	7 October 2025
All activity must be completed by	31 July 2026

Guidance notes and the application form can be found below. Please read the guidance notes carefully and make sure all endorsements are included in your application. Completed applications should be submitted to GP-Funding@exeter.ac.uk by Sunday, 28^th September 2025.

If you have any questions or queries regarding the call please contact Liam Roberts: L.P.J.Roberts@exeter.ac.uk or Emma Clarke: e.v.f.clarke@exeter.ac.uk 

HASS GPDF Application & Guidance Notes 2025/26

CUHK faculty members will develop joint research projects with their international collaborators in their SPARC applications. SPARC aims to seeds new collaborative research programmes which will be impactful and can be sustained through external funding sources for the next phase of their development.

It supports expenses, including but not limited to those involved in scoping studies, data collection, preparation of publications, submission of major international grants, hosting of joint workshops, and research visits. International collaborators are encouraged to reach out to CUHK faculty members and discuss the possibility of making an application. 

Application deadline: 31 March 2025

Programme details: https://www.oal.cuhk.edu.hk/sparc/

The PhD IMPAC Award sponsors CUHK PhD students and visiting PhD students for short-term research attachments. It aims to support research collaboration between CUHK faculty members and international collaborators in order to drive research excellence. Visiting PhD students will receive supervision from our world-class scholars, adding value to their learning experience. Free on-campus accommodation will be offered.

Application deadline: 14 March 2025

Programme details: https://www.oal.cuhk.edu.hk/phd-impac-award/

​Live funding opportunities - Association of Commonwealth Universities

​Université Paris-Saclay make up to 150 ‘Excellence Scholarships’ available to support international internship opportunities - allowing some of their best students to have an international experience during their studies, and to develop professional and inter-cultural skills. Together with Saclay International Affairs we invite Exeter faculty to share internship offers they could make available to Saclay students - with the aims of…

• increasing the attractiveness of Saclay’s programme,
• strengthening Saclay - Exeter cooperation,
• opening new collaborative opportunities between our institutions.

The opportunities are open to Undergraduate and Masters level students – i.e. Bachelor degree: BUT2/BUT3/Licence 2/Licence 3 level; Master degree: Students of engineering school/Ecole Normale Supérieure/Master 1/Master 2 level.

These internships must start between 1st January and 1st December 2025;  and run for a minimum duration of 4 weeks for undergraduate students and for a minimum of 6 weeks for postgraduate students. Please see guidance notes below for more information.

IDEX International Internship Scholarship Guidelines 2024

If you would like to submit an internship offer, please fill in this form: Internship Offers for UPSaclay IDEX Internship Applicants/Laureates (office.com)

​The UUKi 'Global research and innovation funding gateway' is a regularly updated​ depository of funding opportunities for international research and innovation collaboration and knowledge exchange, aimed at UK based researchers/institutions.

Global research and innovation funding gateway (universitiesuk.ac.uk)

The Fulbright University of Exeter Award covers a three-to-nine month project for researching, lecturing or teaching in or across any research-active departments at the university.

Find out more

The Fulbright All Disciplines Scholar Award allows academics and professionals to undertake lecturing and/or research in any discipline at any accredited US university for between three-to-twelve months.

More information can be found here and here.

For assistance with the application process, please contact:
Marie-Joelle West
M.A.West@exeter.ac.uk 

The Fullbright Commission are looking to applicants who can engage with the USA in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity and intellectual freedom, thereby promoting mutual understanding.

There are several Postgraduate Awards available each year. The All Disciplines Award is by far the most competitive, so it’s important to apply for an award that best fits your experience and interest.

Visit the Fullbright Commission website for further details regarding all the awards available.

The Fulbright Specialist Programme allows universities, cultural centres, non-governmental organisations, and other institutions abroad to host a leading U.S. academic or professional to work on diverse, short-term collaborative projects. 

Information on eligibility and the application process for the Fulbright Specialist Programme can be found on the website.

Applications for this programme are accepted all year. The Bilateral Teaching Exchange Programme aims to strengthen the international teaching experience and exposure of Chinese University of Hong Hong (CUHK) faculty members by supporting term-time teaching opportunities at overseas universities.

Find more information here.

Through its Jean d'Alembert fellowship programme Université Paris-Saclay wants to allow highly qualified foreign scientists to stay for long periods (from 6 to 12 months) in one of the 275 laboratories of UPSaclay to conduct research, training & dissemination activities. Scientists from all disciplines and all countries are eligible. The topic and the period of the stay must be decided with the Paris-Saclay host laboratory before the application.

Eligibility:  

• Junior Researchers: Candidates who have obtained their PhD less than ten years before the date of application;  
• Senior Researcher: Candidates who have obtained their PhD at least ten years before the date of application.  

Benefits:  

• Additional monthly salary of €2,800, which will be paid by Université Paris-Saclay during the presence in the lab (employment contract)
• A maximum budget of €10,000 to cover expenses related to the beneficiary’s research activities in the host laboratory of Université Paris-Saclay

Applicants must mention in their scientific project the requested amount and the details of these expenses. Only operating expenses are eligible, personnel expenses are excluded. Duration: 6 months to 1 year For further query: The Jean d'Alembert fellowship program | Université Paris-Saclay (universite-paris-saclay.fr)

The Jean d’Alembert fellowship program Université Paris-Saclay 2024-2026 call for applications is now open, the next deadline is likely to be April 2025

 

The invited faculty programme offers funding to host international faculty members for 1 week to one month within UPSaclay constituent colleges, with the purpose of initiating new or reinforcing existing initiatives. Scientists from all disciplines and countries are eligible.

Successful applicants can receive up to €850 per week (for up to 4 weeks max) to cover their travel and business trip expenses.

Eligibility:

• faculty members from Paris-Saclay partner institutions invited by their Paris-Saclay fellows.

Duration:

• up to 4 weeks.

Disciplines/Nationalities:

• no restriction

Applications are made by Saclay faculty members for external (to Saclay) faculty members that they wish to invite. Exeter faculty are therefore encouraged to contact Saclay counterparts and look into the Invited Faculty Programme with their contacts at Saclay. If help needed in connecting with faculty members at Saclay, please don’t hesitate to contact Stuart Westhead (s.westhead@exeter.ac.uk).

The call for proposals occurs in two waves, for stays in the first and second semester of the academic year. Each request (submitted by a Saclay academic) must specify the details of the proposed visiting researcher; proposed duration of stay and month of arrival; brief description of the reason for the stay; host research unit inviting researcher. A brief CV of the visiting researcher should be attached to the application.

Contacts in departments to whom applications should be submitted:

UFR Droit-Économie-Gestion departement-recherche.jean-monnet@universite-paris-saclay.fr

UFR Médecine recherche-faculte.medecine@universite-paris-saclay.fr

UFR Pharmacie elias.fattal@universite-paris-saclay.fr lorraine.thirion@universite-paris-saclay.fr

UFR Sciences missionnaires-invites.sciences@universite-paris-saclay.fr

UFR Sciences du Sport michel-ange.amorim@universite-paris-saclay.fr

The Shared Scholarship scheme is a joint initiative between the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and UK universities, to support students from developing Commonwealth countries who would not otherwise be able to study a Masters programme in the UK.

Applications for the 2021/22 Commonwealth Shared Scholarships are not yet open. More information on the scheme will be available on the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission’s website (link broken) in due course. Please note that all candidates are expected to have met our English Language Requirements before applying.

Scholarships are available to students of high academic quality from certain Commonwealth countries. You must apply well in advance through the Commonwealth Scholarship Agency in the country in which you have your permanent home. Full details are available on the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission’s website [broken link].