19 January 2026

Unite! Seed Fund 2026: OPEN CALL

The Unite! Seed Fund Call "Spring 2026" is officially open, offering funding across three strategic lines: Student Activities, Teaching and Learning, and Research and PhD.

A new Unite! Seed Fund funding call is now open until 20 March 2026. The call provides financial support for collaborations between Unite! partner universities, helping to initiate projects and place new or emerging collaborations on a strong and sustainable footing.

Student activities (click here)

• Objective: Start long-term collaborations between student associations and other student-centred organisations across the Unite! universities.  

• Available budget: Up to €20,000 per project, involving at least 2 Unite! universities.  

• What is new? Only student associations and other student-centred organisations at the Unite! universities will be eligible to apply. Applications from individual students will not be accepted. That means that your student body’s eligibility must be confirmed by the Student Liaison Officers.

• Deadline: The deadline for contacting the Unite! Student Liaison Officer at each participating university is 8 March 2026. The deadline for submitting the full application is 20 March 2026.

• Announcement of results: Early June 2026

• Funding period for this call: October 2026 - December 2027

Teaching & Learning (click here)

• Objective: Support the creation of joint/collaborative educational offers with ECTS, with the potential for being scaled up into Joint Programmes. Applications must involve at least 3 Unite! universities and address at least one of the Unite! focus areas: Sustainable Energy; Artificial Intelligence; Industry 4.0; Entrepreneurship; Engineering Biology (and Biotechnology); Space; Cybersecurity; and Sustainable Cities & Water. 

• Available budget: Between €10,000 and €80,000 per project, depending on the project goals and the number of Unite! partners involved.  

• How to find partners? A virtual matchmaking event will be held on 5 February, aimed at connecting potential collaboration partners from the Unite! universities. Participation is recommended but not mandatory (see the info box below for more details).

• What is new? Applications aiming at the creation of joint teaching offers must include letters of commitment from all departments/schools involved, confirming that the project outcomes are to be devised as long-term educational offers fully integrated in local curricula.  

• Deadline: The deadline for submitting the full application is 20 March 2026. 

Research & PhD (click here)

• Objective: Start new research collaborations and/or PhD offers between at least 3 Unite! universities and support joint applications for larger third-party funding. Applications must address at least one of the Unite! focus areas: Sustainable Energy; Artificial Intelligence; Industry 4.0; Entrepreneurship; Engineering Biology (and Biotechnology); Space; Cybersecurity; and Sustainable Cities & Water. 

• Available budget: Between €10,000 and €80,000 per project, depending on the project goals and the number of Unite! partners involved.  

• How to find partners? A virtual matchmaking event will be held on 6 February, aimed at connecting potential collaboration partners from the Unite! universities. Participation is recommended but not mandatory (see the info box below for more details).

• What is new? For the programme option “Exploring” (with a budget of €10,000 per project), applications from Early Career Researchers will be preferred.   

• Deadline: The deadline for submitting the full application is 20 March 2026.