Supporting our global collaborations
28 Jul 2026
University to launch new UoM Global Fund in September 2026, helping colleagues collaborating with researchers at our partner institutions to tackle global challenges and delivering our Manchester 2035 strategy.
Our University is launching the UoM Global Fund, to support research colleagues collaborating with researchers at our partner institutions to produce world-leading research and leverage international research funding to tackle global challenges.
Partnership and collaboration are key to our Manchester 2035 strategy, particularly three of our Leaps: A university to partner with; Research excellence to impact; and A powerhouse of innovation.
The new Global Fund is part of the M2035 International Delivery Plan, launching in Autumn 2026. The new design was initiated by Vice-President for Research and the University Executive lead for International, Professor Colette Fagan and Associate Vice-President for International, Professor Angie Wilson.
“Investing in your efforts to build partnerships with our peers across the world will help us deliver our Manchester 2035 strategy, including our ambition to be the partner of choice for those who share our commitment to excellence and turning knowledge into impact for the public good,” explained Professor Wilson.
Professor Colette Fagan agreed: “I hope our research community will explore how this new resource can support their teambuilding and, ultimately, the impact of their incredible work.”
How the fund will support colleagues
The fund aims to encourage the building of international academic networks which produce world leading research and seek future external funding.
The call for the UoM Global Fund will run twice each year (in autumn and spring) with partner institutions joining calls at different times of the year.
The partner institutions participating in the UoM Global Fund in the autumn of 2026 will be announced in early August.
The full UoM Global Fund guidelines here should be read thoroughly before applying, this includes lead, team and budget eligibility.
Themes
The Global Fund encourages collaboration in key areas and in 26/27 these include our platforms for which we have significant interdisciplinary research and expertise across our University:
- Creative Industries
- Digital Futures
- Healthier Futures
- Sustainable Futures
These themes are similar to the UoM Research Platforms, but you do not have to be a member of the platform to apply for this funding.
Projects and teams
Projects can include joint research projects (fully developed projects or feasibility/proof of concept studies) and researchers exchange visits/workshops critical to the project delivery. In most cases, each university offers £5,000 to support the projects (making a total of £10,000) with a few partnerships offering slightly more.
We aim to build long-lasting, productive scholarly networks, so the projects should bring together a team at least three researchers from each institution. An Early Career Researchers (ECRs) either as the principal investigators (PIs) or as member/s of the project team must also be included in the project proposal
Autumn Timeline
1 September – call opens
27 October – application deadline
Mid-December – applicants notified of outcome
1 February – projects can start.
Contact
Once the partners for the UoM Global Fund have been confirmed in early August, if you have any queries about the call or how to apply, please contact international.partnerships@manchester.ac.uk