Unite! Alliance Seed Fund Call for Projects

International Call for Projects
January 20, 2026 - March 20, 2026
This call for proposals aims to provide financial support for collaborations between Unite! partner universities, in order to launch projects and consolidate cooperation on a strategic and sustainable basis. This call is open to projects related to teaching, research, and student activities.

The call for projects is open until March 20, 2026. 

Student activities

This component is dedicated to boosting collaborations between student organizations within Unite! universities. The available budget is €20,000 per project, and at least two Unite! universities must be involved. 
Online information sessions are offered from 12:00 to 13:00 (CET).
Dates: January 27, 2026, February 18, 2026 and March 2, 2026
Zoom link: https://grenoble-inp.zoom.us/j/95113657919
Code: 530105
You can contact the student acting as liaison officer:
Elisa Hausherr (Grenoble INP-UGA) slo@grenoble-inp.fr

Note: only student organizations can apply; individual applications are not accepted.

Teaching and learning

This component supports the creation of collaborative educational offerings integrated into curricula with the allocation of ECTS credits, and likely to become long-term joint programs.
Projects must bring together at least 3 Unite! universities and be proposed in one of the Alliance's priority areas: sustainable energy, artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0, entrepreneurship, biological engineering, space, cybersecurity, sustainable cities and water.

The budget per project can range from €10,000 to €80,000 depending on the objectives and the partners involved.

Note: applications must be accompanied by formal letters of commitment from the departments or schools concerned.
Networking meeting
February 5, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM (CET) - Connection link to come
Objective: to identify partners and consolidate consortia

Research and PhD

This component encourages the launch of new research collaborations and/or doctoral training programs involving at least three Unite! universities and demonstrating strong potential to secure larger-scale third-party funding. Scientific projects must be developed within the Alliance's priority areas.

The budget per project can go up to €80,000 depending on the objectives and the partners involved.

New feature: for the so-called Exploring option (budget of €10,000), applications from young researchers will be particularly encouraged.
Networking meeting (online)
February 6, 2026, from 12:00 to 14:00 (CET)
Register to participate in the meeting
Published on January 16, 2026
Updated on January 26, 2026