University of Manchester Global Fund
In this new approach to joint seed-funds, we have identified priority research themes to be supported through the Global Fund, with matching funding from an evolving group of global university partners. The aim is to support collaborations that generate high-quality publications, impactful research, future successful external funding proposals, and that enhance our global reputation. Funds will be awarded to projects that clearly demonstrate their planned pathway to achieving these aims.
The Global Fund will run twice a year offering a more efficient and agile approach to supporting international collaborative research. This announcement is for the deadlines and arrangements for the first Autumn call. The spring call will open in January with applications due early March and applicants informed by early May. Currently, the partners for the spring include Stockholm University, KTH, Chinese University Hong Kong and others under negotiation.
The full University of Manchester Global Fund guidelines – click on the box below – should be read thoroughly before applying, this includes PI (institutional lead), team and budget eligibility.
Projects and teams
Projects can include joint research projects (fully developed projects or feasibility/proof of concept studies) and research 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
Themes
The 26/27 Global Fund encourages collaboration in the follow areas:
- Creative Industries
- Digital Futures
- Healthier Futures
- Sustainable Futures.
These themes are similar to the University of Manchester Research Platforms. Manchester colleagues who want to join a platform mailing list can sign up through the webpage here.
Autumn Timeline
- 15 September – call opens
- 27 October – application deadline*
- Late December – applicants notified of outcome*
- 1 February – projects can start *
*Please note the deadline for applications with Peking University (PKU) is Thursday 1 October 2026, 17:00 (UK time), with project start dates from 20 October.
Contact
If you have any queries about the call or how to apply, please contact: