Funded Opportunities for Staff

Erasmus+

One of the key opportunities for UCD staff interested in funding awards for educational development projects is the Erasmus+ programme. Erasmus+ is the EU's flagship programme to support education, training, youth and sport. There are more than 20 different funding awards available through the Erasmus+ programme ranging from entry-level projects to ambitious multi-institution projects designed to have national or regional impact. In addition to offering opportunities for students and staff to study, train, and teach abroad, it provides funding opportunities to support collaboration between institutions. An overview of the opportunities most likely to be of interest to UCD staff is set out below. The list below is relevant to staff intersted in applying for project funding - if you are interested in an individual staff exchange please see our staff mobility opportunities page.

Opportunity	About	Deadline
Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility (ICM)	ICM offers the opportunity for academics to design bespoke mobility projects around their areas of expertise. The focus is on working with non-Erasmus programme countries - that is, countries outside Europe and in the East of Europe. It enables us to send and receive staff and students to and from the partner university. UCD is currently managing ICM projects with partners in 17 different countries including Albania, Tunisia, Kenya, Mozambique, Japan and New Zealand. UCD must submit a central application for ICM projects - to do this, we first invite expressions of interest from across the university.	Internal deadline for expression of interest anticipated to be late January 2025. Contact erasmusicm@ucd.ie
Cooperation Partnerships	Cooperation Partnerships are transnational projects designed to enable organisations to develop and share innovative practices and promote cooperation, peer learning and exchanges of experiences in the fields of education, training and youth. This is one of the most popular Erasmus+ award types at UCD. Examples of funded projects involving UCD include the NICE project and the DIGIPASS project. Find out more here.	Call for applications and deadline expected to be announced in late November 2024
Capacity Building in Higher Education	These are complex but high impact projects that ultimately seek to improve the quality of education at a national or regional level. They require collaboration between universities in the EU and those in non-EU countries, for example countries in Latin America, Sub Saharan Africa or Central Asia. A key element of this action is that the outcomes must be geared to benefit the non-Erasmus programme countries. Example projects involving UCD include the IHOD project, the ENPRENDIA project and the FOODI project. Watch a recording of a webinar on Capacity Building projects here.	Call for applications and deadline expected to be announced in late November 2024
Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters	Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters are prestigious funding awards for transnational study programmes delivered by an international consortium of universities. Study must take place in at least two of the Programme countries and scholarships are provided to the best student candidates applying. Example EMJMs involving UCD include NOHA, TISE, FOOD4US, EUROPUBHEALTH+. Watch a webinar on Erasmus Mundus here. Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters submissions are complex and will take a full year to prepare.	Call for applications and deadline expected to be announced in late November 2024
Erasmus Mundus Design Measures	Erasmus Mundus Design Measures are designed to support the initial preparatory work needed to develop a joint programme including establishing its feasibility. It should be viewed as a preparatory project which would lead to a more significant funding application, for example an application for an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters programme.	Call for applications and deadline expected to be announced in late November 2024
Teacher Training Academies	Teacher Training Academies are designed to create partnerships of teacher education and training providers that will develop a European and international outlook in teacher education. Focus areas could include embracing multilingualism and cultural diversity, for example. These are complex projects and developing an application will take up to one year.	Call for applications and deadline expected to be announced in late November 2024
Alliances for Innovation	Alliances for Innovation are focused on boosting innovation and skills. Outcomes might include setting up incubators or working with industry to address skills shortages. These are ambitious and complex projects which must involve labour market actors (enterprises or companies) as well as education and training providers.	Call for applications and deadline expected to be announced in late November 2024
Small Scale Partnerships	This opportunity is aimed at newcomers to the Erasmus+ programme and is one of the most straightforward actions to apply for and to manage. HEIs with significant experience of managing Erasmus+ projects are not the primary audience for this action. However, if your School and your partners are not experienced in managing Erasmus, you may be eligible. UCD has had some success in applications under this action in the past.	Call for applications and deadline expected to be announced in late November 2024
Jean Monnet Actions	Jean Monnet actions provide a range of different funding opportunities for those involved in the field of European studies. These include funding to develop a module or short course in European studies (Jean Monnet Modules), funding to host a teaching post with a specialisation in EU studies (Jean Monnet Chairs) or funding to develop central points of excellence in EU studies within a university (Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence).	Call for applications and deadline expected to be announced in late November 2024
Erasmus+ Virtual Exchanges	Virtual Exchange projects (EVE) are projects designed to offer online people-to-people activities that promote intercultural dialogue and soft skills development. Find out more here.	Call for applications and deadline expected to be announced in late November 2024

Other funding opportunities

Opportunity	About	Deadline
Research funding	The Research Programmes team in the Office of the Vice-President for Research, Innovation helps researchers identify funding opportunities and develop funding applications. For more information on research funding opportunities, upcoming calls for proposals, and local and central supports available, please visit this website.	Please refer to funding agency websites for information on upcoming calls for proposals.
Una Europa funding	UCD is a member of Una Europa, an alliance of 11 European universities. The alliance launches regular calls for applications for seed funding aimed at supporting the initiation of long-term collaborative activities between the partner universities. The idea is to "plant a seed" that can eventually attract external funding.	Please refer to the Una Europa website
Universitas 21 funding	UCD is a member of the Universitas 21 Global Network. U21 occasionally opens calls for proposals for funding in response to emerging priorities. To be kept informed of future U21 funding opportunities and other network news, please sign up to the U21 newsletter.	Please refer to the Universitas 21 website
UCD Global Engagement Seed Fund	The UCD Global Engagement Seed Fund supports UCD faculty and staff, in Ireland and overseas, to develop initiatives and activities in line with the Global Engagement Strategy 2021-2024. It is operated by UCD Global on behalf of the Vice-President for Global Engagement.	The next call for applications is expected to be published during 2025.
The Fulbright Programme	The Fulbright Programme offers grants to study, teach and conduct research for U.S. citizens to go abroad and for non-U.S. citizens to come to the United States.	Please refer to the Fulbright Programme website.
Science Foundation Ireland funding calls	Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) operates a range of funding opportunities including the ‘SDG Challenge’ which it runs in collaboration with Irish Aid (the 2024 call closed on 8 October 2024).	Please refer to the SFI website funding call page.

Open calls

Types of funding

Calls for application

Research funding

The Research Programmes team in the Office of the Vice-President for Research, Innovation helps researchers identify funding opportunities and develop funding applications. For more information on research funding opportunities, upcoming calls for proposals, and local and central supports available, please visit this website.

Please refer to funding agency websites for information on upcoming calls for proposals.

Fulbright

The Fulbright Programme offers grants to study, teach and conduct research for U.S. citizens to go abroad and for non-U.S. citizens to come to the United States. In 2021, eight UCD scholars were awarded Fulbright awards. For further information on Fulbright, please visit their website.

Applications for the 2024-25 programme close on 15 September 2023.

Successful applicants will undertake their exchange the following academic year.

Forthcoming calls

Types of funding	Calls for application
Erasmus+ Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. The Programme’s priorities for the period 2021-2027 are inclusion and diversity, digital transformation, and environmental sustainability. Erasmus+ does not only provide funding opportunities for students and staff to study, train, and gain experience abroad. Erasmus+ also offers opportunities for a wide variety of individuals and organisations. Below is an overview of some of the most popular Key Actions in the Erasmus+ programme: Erasmus+ Staff Mobility for Teaching or Training: Teaching, administrative and technical staff working at UCD can apply for Erasmus+ funding to spend a short period of time teaching and/or training at an education institution abroad. Please visit our Learning Abroad website for information on Erasmus+ KA131 Staff Mobility with Programme Countries (within Europe) and Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility with Partner Countries (outside of Europe). Cooperation Partnerships (formerly called ‘Strategic Partnerships’):These are transnational projects designed to develop and share innovative practices and promote cooperation, peer learning and exchanges of experiences in the fields of education, training and youth. Examples of Strategic Partnerships involving UCD include the NICE project and the DIGIPASS project. Capacity Building projects in the field of Higher Education: These are transnational cooperation projects, based on multilateral partnerships, primarily between HEIs from Programme and eligible Partner Countries. Example projects involving UCD include the ENPRENDIA project and the FOODI project. Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters: An EMJM is a prestigious, integrated, international study programme, jointly delivered by an international consortium of higher education institutions. Programmes can be of 60, 90 and 120 ECTS. Their specificity lies in the high degree of jointness/integration and the excellent academic content and methodology they offer. EMJMs offer scholarships to the best student candidates applying under annual selection rounds. Study must take place in at least two of the Programme countries. Example EMJMDs involving UCD include the following programmes: NOHA, TISE, FOOD4US, EUROPUBHEALTH+. Jean Monnet: Jean Monnet Activities are designed to promote excellence in teaching and research in the field of European Union studies worldwide. The activities also foster the dialogue between the academic world and policy-makers, in particular with the aim of enhancing governance of EU policies. The main types of Jean Monnet activities: Jean Monnet Modules Jean Monnet Chairs (see this example from the UCD School of Politics and International Relations) Jean Monnet Centres of Excellence - for example the UCD Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence ‘New Political Economy of Europe) Jean Monnet Networks Jean Monnet Teacher Training	The 2024 Call is expected in November 2023. For more information please see https://www.eacea.ec.europa.eu/news-events/events_en.
Universitas 21 funding opportunities Universitas 21 (U21) is a global network of 29 world-class universities that empowers students, researchers and staff to share excellence, collaborate across borders and nurture international knowledge exchange. U21 occasionally opens calls for proposals for funding in response to emerging priorities. Recent funding opportunities have included The U21 Graduate Collaborative Research Awards, The U21 Global Education Enhancement Fund and The U21 Researcher Resilience Fund. For further information, please contact Dr Colleen Doyle (universitas21@ucd.ie)	To be kept informed of future U21 funding opportunities and other network news, please sign up to the U21 newsletter.
Una Europa Seed Fund The Una Europa Seed Fund 2022 call aimed to consolidate academic collaboration in each of the five Una Europa Focus Areas, through the funding of one Una Europa Chair per Focus Area: Cultural Heritage; Data Science and Artificial Intelligence; European Studoes; One Health; Sustainability. Research teams consisting of senior academics in at least two partner universities and one Project Chair will be responsible for designing and delivering a defined project in one of the Focus Areas. The nominated chair will carry out a fellowship of minimum 2 months in one of the Una Europa universities during the period 1 January 2023 to 31 July 2023.	The 2022 call for applications closed on 29 July 2022.

Closed calls

Types of funding	Calls for application
U21 Health Sciences Group Funding Opportunities U21 HSG is a multidisciplinary collaborative group of 19 U21 member universities. The group includes the discipline areas of Dentistry, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Midwifery, Pharmacy, Public Health and Biomedical Sciences. The call for applications for U21 HSG project funding to encourage collaborative, international projects for members across the U21 Health Sciences Group network closed on 30 June 2023. There were three different funding options: International Projects Fund Research Development Fund Student Research Fund	Full details of application guidelines and how to apply can be found on the U21 Health Sciences website.
UCD Global Engagement Seed Fund The UCD Global Engagement Seed Fund supports UCD faculty and staff, in Ireland and overseas, to develop initiatives and activities in line with the Global Engagement Strategy 2021-2024. It is operated by UCD Global on behalf of the Vice-President for Global Engagement.Applications are invited under one of three strands: ‘Building Global Partnerships’, relating to activities that advance the University’s global partnerships; ‘Advancing Global Networks’, to pursue cooperation between UCD and one or more Network partners; ‘New Directions’, providing the opportunity to pursue innovative and novel global engagement activities.	The 2022 calls for applications was closed on 13 June 2022. The next call for applications is expected to be published during 2023. For further information, please email Shane Lordan: globalseedfund@ucd.ie
SFI-Irish Aid SDG Challenge - VIETNAM SFI, in partnership with Irish Aid, has launched the ‘SDG Challenge’, a new funding opportunity for HEIs in Ireland and selected partner countries (beginning in 2021 with South Africa, Tanzania, Malawi, Ethiopia, Uganda and Vietnam). The SDG Challenge seeks to support diverse, transdisciplinary teams to develop transformative, sustainable solutions that will contribute to addressing global development challenges. Each year of the funding call will focus on a different SDG, with this year’s focus being SDG3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, and related goals and targets. Successful teams will be awarded up to €300k and will work through a series of phases to develop their idea. An overall prize of €1 million will be available to the team that demonstrates the highest potential for transformative impact.	The call for applications closed on 6 October 2021.
Government of Ireland International Academic Mobility Programme The GOI IAMP is an initiative funded by the Irish Department of Education and Skills that supports the outward mobility of HEI staff to develop teaching, learning and research collaborations with HEIs and organisations from any country around the world. In 2018 and 2019, UCD was awarded 13 GOI IAMP projects totalling €116,657 in funding.	The 2020 call for GOI IAMP was cancelled due to Covid-19. No announcement has been made yet regarding future calls.
UCD-China Link Outward Mobility Scholarship 2022 The UCD-China Link has been developed to support UCD staff and students to establish and enhance outward mobility exchanges with Chinese Universities. As part of this initiative 20 scholarships are available for a research or study opportunity at a Chinese partner: To UCD academic staff or research students At any time during the 2022/23 academic year For any period from 1 to 12 months Any research discipline other than Chinese language The funding will cover any tuition and will provide free accommodation, comprehensive medical insurance and a monthly stipend of CNY 3,000 (~€400). Research students will also benefit from a €1,000 travel bursary.	The 2022 call for the scholarship is now closed.