International Research Funding Circular – 21 November 2025

Please see the latest European and International research funding information, event and opportunity updates.

2026-27 DRAFT Work programme call topics

News

1. ACTION REQUEST: UK-Ukraine Horizon Europe Initiative: project ideas now available for UK partners: https://www.ukro.ac.uk/news/next-step-in-the-uk-ukraine-horizon-europe-initiative-project-ideas-now-available-for-uk-partners/

Following a nationwide call, Ukrainian universities have now submitted a rich collection of project ideas designed to foster deeper academic cooperation, strengthen research partnerships, and stimulate innovation exchange with UK higher education institutions. These ideas — now compiled and ready for review — represent a significant milestone in our joint efforts to build strong, competitive consortia for upcoming Horizon Europe 2026 and 2027 Work Programme opportunities. Please browse the project ideas and drop jarlath.mckenna@newcastle.ac.uk a note if you are interested to pursue match-making for any.

Events

2. NEW: Webinar on the new ERC Plus Grants, Friday 28 November 2025 (14.00-15.30): https://www.ukro.ac.uk/events/webinar-on-the-new-erc-plus-grants/

The ERC Plus grants are a new funding scheme to support outstanding Principal Investigators with bold ideas and a vision for transformative research that goes beyond the scope of existing ERC programmes. This webinar will outline the scope, objectives, eligibility and evaluation process of this new funding initiative. They will also explain how the new ERC Plus Grants sit within the wider ERC funding landscape and what applicants should bear in mind when preparing a proposal.

3. NEW: UnILiON Brokerage Events – Horizon Europe

The aim of these events is to provide a platform bringing together researchers, as well as public and private sector participants, to share ideas, knowledge, and expertise — and to identify suitable partners for future consortia under the relevant Horizon Europe calls with 2026 deadlines.

4. NEW: Horizon Europe – ERA 2026 Brokerage Event and Info Day: online on 17 December 2025: https://www.ukro.ac.uk/news/horizon-europe-era-2026-brokerage-event-and-info-day/

NCP_WIDERA.NET, the network of National Contact Points for Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area (WIDERA), cordially invites you to the ERA Knowledge Day and Brokerage Event for the new ERA call 2026. The event will be focused on the ERA 2026 call topics specified in the Horizon Europe WIDERA Work Programme for 2026-2027 (please find the draft version here).

5. NEW: One Health Antimicrobial Resistance R&I call 2026 webinar: https://sv-se.eu.invajo.com/event/eupohamr/webinarforapplicants

The European Partnership on One Health Antimicrobial Resistance, EUP OHAMR, is pleased to invite researchers to a webinar presenting the 2026 Joint transnational call, “Treatments and adherence to treatment protocols”, which will explore new treatments to tackle AMR, and the partner search tool. See call details under European-related funding below.

6. REMINDER: N8 ERC Lunch time Webinar Series: information sessionS for academics interested in applying to the European Research Council (ERC), offering guidance on writing competitive proposals though insights from ERC award holders and/or reviewers.

  • ERC Synergy Grant: Tuesday 25th November 2025 – 12:10 – 12:50pm: Speakers Professor Tracy Palmer (Newcastle University) and Professor Jason Rothman (Lancaster University): Join the meeting now (Meeting ID: 312 205 642 977 1; Passcode: Zk7CG99G)
  • ERC Consolidator Grant – Physical Sciences: Friday 28th November 2025 – 12:10 – 12:50pm: Speakers Professor Ben Mills (University of Leeds) and Dr Meghan Halse (University of York): Join the meeting now (Meeting ID: 351 405 385 497 6; Passcode: Ep3ZP6oK)
  • ERC Consolidator Grant – Physical Sciences: Friday 5th December 2025 – 12:10 – 12:50pm: Speakers Professor Alison Parkin (University of York) and Professor Edward Laird (Lancaster University): Join the meeting now (Meeting ID: 351 847 045 517 12; Passcode: o4bJ7zN7)
  • ERC Starting Grant – Life Sciences: Tuesday 2nd December 2025 – 12:10 – 12:50pm: Speakers Professor Christina Hicks (Lancaster University) and Dr Ralf Richter (University of Leeds): Join the meeting now (Meeting ID: 312 985 377 917 25; Passcode: PV9Xm3u3)
  • ERC Starting Grant – Physical Sciences: Wednesday 10th December 2025 – 12:10 – 12:50pm: Speakers Dr Rostislav Mikhaylovskiy (Lancaster University) and Dr Dominic Bowman (Newcastle University): Join the meeting now (Meeting ID: 315 256 395 349 0; Passcode: oq3HG94p)
  • ERC Starting Grant – Social Sciences: Tuesday 16th December 2025 – 12:10 – 12:50pm: Speakers Professor Robbie Williams (University of Leeds) and Dr Mark Griffiths (Newcastle University): Join the meeting now (Meeting ID: 336 871 031 716; Passcode: Lm7Kn2YA)

RECORDED: Video links for past recorded webinars:

European related funding

7. NOW LAUNCHED: European Partnership on One Health Antimicrobial Resistance R&I call 2026: https://ohamr.eu/calls/call-2026-new-treatments-to-tackle-amr/

This first EUP OHAMR joint transnational call for projects will explore new treatments to tackle AMR. The call “Treatments and adherence to treatment protocols”, involves 37 funding organisations from 28 different countries with an estimated total call budget of over 31 million Euro. The call is co-funded by the European Union. The call covers:

  • TOPIC 1: Identify and develop new combination treatments using existing or innovative antimicrobials or antimicrobial with adjunctive treatments to extend drug efficacy and combat resistance.
  • TOPIC 2: Develop tools and methods to improve adherence to treatment protocols.
  • TOPIC 3: Assess the impact of antimicrobials for veterinary and agricultural use on the risk of AMR transmission to humans and the environment to inform policies on the restriction of some antimicrobials for human use.

The funding will be provided by the national/regional research funding organisations participating in the call (for the UK this is MRC and Innovate UK). Each of them will fund their national/regional applicants, according to their own eligibility rules. Webinar for applicants on 26 November 2025 with pre-proposal deadline 02 February 2026.

8. NEW: LEAP-SE 2026 call – Europe-Africa (EU-AU)  Partnership on Sustainable Energy: https://www.leap-re.eu/leap-se-call-2026/

The Long-Term Joint EU-AU Research and Innovation Partnership on Sustainable Energy (LEAP-SE) is a six-year programme conducted by a consortium of partners from European and African countries dedicated to developing a long-term research and innovation partnership between Europe and Africa on sustainable energy. The second transnational joint Call under the LEAP-SE programme will fund basic research, applied research and experimental development projects that are 12-36 months long and covering all innovation steps. Applications should be submitted by a consortia consisting of at least two independent legal entities from two different European Union Member States or Horizon Europe-Associated Countries and another two independent legal entities from two countries in the African Union. Each consortium must include at least one partner from the institutional research sector (academic, public research centre, non-profit organisation etc) and one partner from a commercial company coming from participating countries. The list of participating countries from each continent are as follows:

  • Africa: Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia.
  • Europe: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Türkiye, UK.

The maximum funding for each project is €1.5 million and the maximum funding per partner in one project is €500,000. The consortium coordinator should submit a pre-proposal by deadline 05 February 2026.

9. REMINDER: Horizon Europe – Work Programmes 2026-27 early drafts pre-published – SUMMARY CALL TOPICS ATTACHED

The European Commission have pre-published early drafts of the 2026-27 call topics for a number of the clusters and missions (to download work programmes see here: https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/news/insight-into-horizon-europe-work-2026-2027-programmes/). For convenience, we have put together summary tables of all call topic titles in the attached Excel spreadsheet – please use these to browse any topics that are of interest to you and that you may be able to contribute to. Once you have identified a topic(s) of interest, please search their call reference within the relevant full Work Programme PDF. Please note for some areas newer leaked drafts can also be found on Science Business website: https://sciencebusiness.net/horizon-papers Keep checking both the BusinessConnect and ScienceBusiness sites regularly for updated versions. They include:

10. Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships 2026/27 for British researchers: https://www.sbfi.admin.ch/en/swiss-government-excellence-scholarships#1658819252

The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships give early-stage British researchers (Master’s degree or recent PhD) the opportunity to pursue a research project at postgraduate, doctoral or postdoctoral level at any of Switzerland’s universities or national research institutes. Applicants need to propose a research project that is supported by an academic supervisor at their institution of choice. Maximum duration is 12 months for research projects and 36 months for pursuing a PhD. Deadline 5 December 2025.

11. Fondation Luciole Grand Prize 2026 for Ecological Transition: https://www.institutdefrance.fr/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Call_for_applications_GP_Luciole_2026.pdf

The Fondation Luciole’s Grand Prize aims to recognise social initiatives or scientific research dedicated to the ecological transition, in France and internationally, particularly in the following areas: • Protection of nature and biodiversity. • Ecological transition, particularly in the fields of agriculture, industry, transportation, energy, consumption and communal living.    • Prevention of natural or health hazards. • Education on the ecological transition. The Prize consists of a grant of €100,000. Deadline 18 December 2025.

12. DSIT funding UK participation in EuroHPC (European High Performance Computing) Joint Undertaking Calls

UK public research organisations will be eligible for funding to participate in three upcoming research and innovation calls run by the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU). The Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is funding UK teams to develop and optimise exascale and AI‑ready software, toolchains and workflows in areas of national importance. These calls will support structured, cross‑border collaboration with leading European computing centres and further develop the UK compute ecosystem in line with recently published Compute Roadmap. Funding is available for UK proposals in the following calls:

Individual proposals should not exceed £1.3 million in proposed UK contribution. Call deadlines 20 January 2026.

13. Humboldt Residency Programme call with Focus on Democracy 2.26: Designing Political Participation: https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/bewerben/foerderprogramme/humboldt-residency-programm/humboldt-residency-programme-call-for-applications

The annual Humboldt Residency Programme is designed to promote transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration. It brings together a group of 12 participants including researchers, writers, artists, civil society actors and social entrepreneurs to address a specific topic during a six-week residency in Brandenburg and Berlin, Germany. This years call responds to the needs of contemporary democracies to adapt to regional and socio-cultural demands and increase participation by critically examining political participation as a concept, as well as by designing and experimenting with innovative, informal political participation formats. It is scheduled to run from June to October 2026 with an in-person residency in August/September 2026. An online information event is scheduled for 25 November 2025 with application deadline 15 December 2025. 

Official development assistance (ODA) or Low- and Middle-Income Country (LMIC) related funding

 13. Gates Foundation – Accelerating the Development of Innovative, Exceptionally Low-Cost Maternal and Child Nutrient Ingredients and Products: https://gcgh.grandchallenges.org/challenge/accelerating-development-innovative-exceptionally-low-cost-maternal-and-child-nutrient

Despite decades of evidence demonstrating the importance of nutrition interventions, many solutions are inaccessible in low- and middle-income countries due to high costs. We invite innovators from nutrition, biotechnology, food technology, pharmaceuticals, and beyond to submit proposals to reduce the cost of calcium, choline, or DHA by at least half or develop low-cost and/or advanced micronutrient supplement products. A webinar will be hosted to provide more information and answer any questions on Wednesday, 12 November 2025, 07:00 – 08:00 Pacific Time. To participate in the webinar, please register and submit your questions in advance. Request for Proposals deadline 16 December 2025.

14. Gates Foundation – Accelerating Innovation in Vaginal Formulations in Support of Women’s Health: https://gcgh.grandchallenges.org/challenges

Local delivery of drugs into the vagina offers several clear potential advantages over other delivery methods, but it remains underutilized. Through this RFP, the partners seek applications that either contribute to the development of vaginal formulations that promote optimal drug delivery or identify the specific features of a vaginally administered product that would most appeal to women. This challenge is a collaboration among members of global Grand Challenges network, including the Gates Foundation, GC-Africa (managed by the Science for Africa Foundation), GC-Brazil (Ministry of Health), GC-India (Department of Biotechnology under the Ministry of Science and Technology), and GC-South Africa (South African Medical Research Council). A webinar will be hosted to provide more information and answer any questions on Thursday, 20 November 2025, 06:00 – 07:00 Pacific Time. To participate in the webinar, please register and submit your questions in advance. Call deadlines 16 December 2025.

REMINDER: Most LMICs (with the exception of Brazil, Russia, India, China, Mexico, Chile) are automatically eligible for funding through Horizon Europe. Please consider supporting your partnership with LMICs through Horizon opportunities. 

General international

 16. Darwin Plus Local Grants scheme: https://darwinplus.org.uk/how-to-apply/local-applications/

Darwin Plus Local funds projects that protect the unique biodiversity and improve resilience to climate change within the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs). It supports small scale environmental projects in the UKOTs, with the aim of improving outcomes for biodiversity, building capacity in-territory and contributing to local economies. Projects must contribute to measurable outcomes in at least one of the Darwin Plus themes (ie biodiversity, climate change, environmental quality, and capability and capacity building) with a clear focus on biodiversity and the natural environment. Projects are encouraged that propose to implement evidence-based proven solutions as well as innovative approaches. Preference will be given to discrete projects implementing environmental solutions, action on the ground or discrete work that aims to deliver a tangible change. Applications must be made by a lead entity, which can be an organisation or individual. The lead entity must be based in one of the UKOTs. Darwin Plus Local will provide grants of up to £50,000 for organisations and up to £20,000 for individuals. Applications will be accepted for projects implemented between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027 (i.e. projects can last for up to 12 months). Deadline 29 December 2025.

17. AHRC/ESRC International Placement Scheme 2026 (pre-announcement): https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/international-placement-scheme-2026/

Apply for a funded placement at an international institution. Placements are available at the following institutions:

  • United States: Harry Ransom Center, Huntington Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, Yale Centre for British Art
  • Japan: National Institutes for the Humanities (NIHU)
  • China: Shanghai Theatre Academy

You will receive £1,000 for travel and visa costs (£1,200 for travel to Japan and China) and £2,500 for each month of the fellowship. You can apply for two to six months of funding. Deadline 19 March 2026.

18. Roux Prize for Disease Burden Research: https://www.healthdata.org/about/awards/roux-prize

The Roux Prize is awarded by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) to recognise innovation in the use of disease burden research. A prize of $100,000 is awarded to an individual or group that has successfully applied health evidence in innovative ways to safeguard public health and make people healthier. Nominations are invited for an individual or group, based anywhere in the world, that has applied health evidence in innovative ways. The award can be used by the winner for any research, educational or personal purpose. Deadline 03 March 2026.

 19. 2026 Ernst Mach Grant Worldwide: https://grants.at/en/

The grant programme invites students and young researchers from foreign universities to go to Austria for a research or study visit for a maximum of nine months.

Areas of study or research which are of particular interest to OeAD include: natural sciences; technical sciences; human medicine; Health Sciences; agricultural sciences; social sciences; arts and humanities. Applications are accepted from candidates from all countries except Austria. The maximum age for candidates is 35. Good knowledge of English and/or German, particularly in the respective subject area, is a prerequisite. A monthly grant is awarded for the duration of the stay, up to a maximum of nine months. The monthly rate of the grant is €1,300. Deadline 01 February 2026.

 20. Millennium Technology Prize: https://millenniumprize.org/

For groundbreaking technological innovations that benefit millions of people around the world. All fields of technology are eligible, excluding military technology. The prize supports technological innovations that broadly improve the life of humankind and promote sustainable development, and that demonstrate present and/or future applications with global commercial viability and industrial exploitation. Innovation should: • Enhance quality of life. • Promote sustainable development, such as the efficient use of Earth’s resources, biodiversity, and mitigation of climate change. • Generate applications with global commercial viability. • Create new accessible socioeconomic value. • Stimulate further cutting-edge research and development in science and technology. Candidates can be either individuals or research groups/teams, but not institutions or organisations. One nomination can include multiple nominees and nominators are encouraged to name everyone whose contributions to the innovation deserve the prize. A total of €1 million will be awarded to the winner(s). Deadline 27 February 2026.

 21. JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme for Overseas Researchers 2026 — call for humanities and social sciences: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/schemes/jsps-postdoctoral-fellowship-for-overseas-researchers/

This scheme is for scholars in the UK who are at an early stage of their career and wish to conduct research in Japan for a period of 12-24 months. The scheme, which is wholly funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), provides the opportunity for highly qualified young researchers based in the UK to engage and collaborate with leading research groups in universities and other research institutions in Japan. In its capacity as an overseas nominating authority for this scheme, the British Academy is able to nominate a quota of candidates each year, thus candidates from all fields of the humanities and social sciences are eligible to apply. Deadline 10 December 2025  [note: the Royal Society typically run a similar option for the sciences in early new year].

 22. AHRC-DFG Research Grants: Round Eight (2025 to 2026): https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/ahrc-dfg-research-grants-round-eight-2025-to-2026/

Apply for funding to conduct arts and humanities research projects with German partners. Projects must be composed of two highly integrated national teams based in the UK and Germany. All proposals must demonstrate the added value of international collaboration to research objectives.

The full economic cost of the UK-component of your project can be up to £420,000. Your project can last between 24 to 36 months. Deadline 26 February 2025.

 23. Health Outcomes of Pet Ownership and Human-Animal Interaction research funding: https://habri.org/grants/funding-opportunities/rfp-addressing-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-hai

Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) is inviting proposals for its Addressing Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Human-Animal Interaction funding scheme aimed at exploring the health benefits of human-animal interaction. This initiative supports research that examines the health outcomes associated with pet ownership and animal-assisted interventions (AAI) for both humans and animals. Eligible studies should focus on areas such as the role of pet ownership in promoting wellbeing, the impacts of therapy animals and the effectiveness of AAI in addressing social issues like anxiety, loneliness and trauma. Research proposals must include a solid theoretical framework and aim to produce actionable recommendations for policymakers, veterinarians and health practitioners. HABRI will award approximately five to six grants annually, with an average funding amount of $50,000 per project and a typical duration of 20 months. Deadline 26 February 2025.

24. Eureka GlobalStars Japan 2026: https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/2276/overview/19635c62-dd91-41d8-a90e-547cdb5acbfa#summary

UK business can apply for funding to collaborate on industrial research projects with partners in Eureka member countries and Japan. UK universities can collaborate, but not lead. Innovate UK will invest a minimum of £2 million to fund UK component. The aim of this competition is to fund business led, collaborative research and development (CR&D) projects focused on industrial research. This competition will be for innovative proposals developed between the UK, Japan and the other Eureka participating countries. Deadline 21 January 2026.

 25. UKRI (all councils) collaborate with researchers in São Paulo, Brazil: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/collaborate-with-researchers-in-brazil/

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and FAPESP have signed a memorandum of understanding to support collaborative applications. It provides for a lead agency assessment whereby participant UKRI research councils receive and assess joint applications from eligible UK and Brazil-based researchers from the state of São Paulo on behalf of both organisations. UKRI and FAPESP will co-fund applications submitted to participant UKRI councils’ selected responsive mode funding opportunities. No deadline.

26. Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Funding Opportunities https://www.acu.ac.uk/funding-opportunities/funding-opportunities-calendar/

The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) is currently offering a range of grants, fellowships, and scholarships for university staff and students. These opportunities provide valuable support for research, professional development, and academic collaboration across the Commonwealth. View the ACU Funding Calendar (opportunities also listed below) to see upcoming deadlines throughout the year and plan your applications in advance. Please note that the ACU grants offer is under review and may be subject to change.

  • Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships for 2026/27 (application cycle 1) Fully-funded scholarships to study in low and middle-income Commonwealth countries. Opens 19 November 2025. Deadline 14 January 2026.
  • Supporting Research Community Training Grants Funding staff at ACU member universities to organise and deliver training for their early career researchers. Opens 4 February 2026. Deadline 8 April 2026.
  • Gender Grants Funding projects that promote gender equity and equality on university campuses. Opens 5 March 2026. Deadline 6 May 2026.
  • Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships for 2026/27 (application cycle 2) Fully-funded scholarships to study in low and middle-income Commonwealth countries. Opens 9 April 2026. Deadline 3 June 2026.
  • ACU Fellowships Funding collaborative research and the exchange of knowledge, skills and ideas between ACU members. Opens 28 April 2026. Deadline 25 June 2026.

 27. Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation (GBSF) grant funding: http://www.gbsf.org.uk/grants/overview/

The Foundation’s aim is to develop good relations between the United Kingdom and Japan by advancing the education of the people of both nations in each other’s culture, society and achievements. It seeks to promote mutual understanding and cooperation through financial support for activities in the following fields: • Arts and Culture • Humanities and Social Issues • Japanese Language • Medicine and Health • Science, Technology and Environment • Sport • Youth and Education. The Foundation’s awards are intended to provide “pump-priming” and not core funding of projects. Standard travel grants between the UK and Japan are £2,000, and up to £2,500 for visits of more than two weeks. This also includes travel for PhD students from UK universities wishing to visit Japan for dissertation research or to complete fieldwork. Applications for longer-term fieldwork of six months or more in Japan can be considered, with grants of up to £5,000. The UK office holds three annual awards meetings, with remaining application deadline on 15th December.  

Project Initiation Form (PIF): https://www.cognitoforms.com/NewcastleUniversity1/NewcastleUniversityNuTHProjectInitiationFormV2

If you’re in the process of developing a research proposal please ensure you submit a PIF as soon as possible. The PIF is not just a mechanism to initiate a costing, it enables the research support team to identify and engage on your behalf the varying types of research and business support beneficial to your bid. Please note you don’t need to define all resources required before engaging with the team. To maximise the support available to you, PIF submission is advised at your earliest convenience.

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