Strategic partnership between University of Exeter and Université Paris-Saclay - Second Call for Proposals (2026–2027)
The University of Exeter and Université Paris-Saclay are delighted to announce the second edition of the Bilateral Strategic Funding Scheme, launched following the agreement signed on 2 July 2025 for a three-year period.
This funding is open to teams across all scientific disciplines, with priority given to the following areas:
- Environment and Climate Science
- Law and Social Sciences
- Artificial Intelligence and Data Sciences
- Sport and Health Sciences
- Global Health, One Health, and Antimicrobial Resistance.
The programme provides funding for the following four types of activities:
- Seed Fund Grant
- Visiting Research Student Fellowship Programme
- Accelerator Grant
- Professional Development Programme
Supports short-term mobility for teaching and research staff from both institutions.
- Maximum funding: €2,000 / £1,700
- Application deadline: 5 June 2026.
Application information and guideline
Applicants will need to complete the application via the “démarche numérique” platform in conjunction with their counterpart(s) at the partner institution. Both a lead applicant and co-applicant at the partner institution will need to be nominated for each application.
Seed Fund Grant: Call closed
Templates for applications are directly included into the platform.
Supports short-term research visits (2–8 weeks) for PhD candidates.
- Funding range: €1,500 to €3 750 depending on duration
- Application deadline: 23 october 2026.
Application information and Guideline
Applicants will need to complete the application via the “démarche numérique” platform in conjunction with their counterpart(s) at the partner institution. Both a lead applicant and co-applicant at the partner institution will need to be nominated for each application.
Visiting Research Student Fellowship Programme: https://demarche.numerique.gouv.fr/commencer/strategic-partnership-visiting-research-student
Templates for applications are directly included into the platform.
Supports larger-scale initiatives aimed at securing external funding and/or delivering high-impact outputs. Proposals are expected from academic teams at both institutions with established collaboration and complementary expertise.
- Maximum funding: €10,000 / £8,500
- Application deadline: 5 June 2026.
Application information and Guideline
Applicants will need to complete the application via the “démarche numérique” platform in conjunction with their counterpart(s) at the partner institution. Both a lead applicant and co-applicant at the partner institution will need to be nominated for each application.
Accelerator Grant: Call closed
Templates for applications are directly included into the platform.
Promotes professional development and the exchange of best practices between colleagues at Université Paris-Saclay and the University of Exeter.
- Maximum funding: €1,500 / £1,250
- Application deadline: 23 october 2026.
Application information and Guideline
Applicants will need to complete the application via the “démarche numérique” platform in conjunction with their counterpart(s) at the partner institution. Both a lead applicant and co-applicant at the partner institution will need to be nominated for each application.
Professional Development Programme: https://demarche.numerique.gouv.fr/commencer/strategic-partnership-professional-staff-exchange
Templates for applications are directly included into the platform.
For any questions, please contact:
- Université Paris-Saclay: strategic.partnerships@universite-paris-saclay.fr
- University of Exeter: GP-Funding@exeter.ac.uk
Notes:
- Applications accepted in English only.
- Important: Emails sent by the “Démarche numérique” platform may be filtered as spam. Please check your junk folder regularly.
Winners of the first edition of the Paris-Saclay University x University of Exeter bilateral seed fund (2025–2026)
Seed Fund Grant
- Cartaxo x Abadie (Institute of Law, Ethics and Heritage (IDEP)) - Law and sustainability: building a strong partnership across the Channel
- Zhang x Sabouret (GS Computer Science and Digital Sciences) - Efficient Multimodal Robot Perception for Pedestrian-Centric Applications with Human Decision-Making Models
- Schlinder x Thomine (Laboratoire de Mathématiques d’Orsay, GS Mathématiques) - Rare events in dynamical systems
- Lawrence x Davidenko (Health Science – Biosphera Graduate School) - Accelerating the protein transition using behavioural and nutritional science
- Hillier x Parenti (Physics) - Theory and observations of prominence thermodynamics
Visiting Research Student Fellowship Programme
- Augustin Danneaux, Biosphera ABIES – Climatic transition & industrial transitions: Informing support for sectoral declines and emergence with integrated modelling
- Tanguy Ramanantsoavina, Paris-Saclay Mechanics Laboratory (LMPS) - Impact of accident-induced rotational components of earthquake excitation on the response of structures
- Keith Harrison, Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS2) – Complex Living Systems
- Bioantika, Geosciences – Towards Zero Waste Mining: Optimising Ore-sand By-products in Copper Mineral Processing Circuits
- Victoria Nicolazo-Crach (FAST) - 3D movement patterns of single-celled organisms
Accelerator Grant
- Pagliara x Naas (UPS, GS Santé et médicaments) - Dissecting the impact of different bacterial strategies on antimicrobial resistance
- Schaap x Gayet-Viaud (GS Sociology and Political Science, CESDIP) - Civility and Public Life in France and the UK: the Making of Democratic Culture (on the Street, in the Hospital and around The University)
- Bond x Gernigon (Faculté des Sciences du Sport) - The feasibility of ischaemic preconditioning in Peripheral Artery Disease
- Baum x Basta (Department of Biology, GS Life Sciences and Health) - Delving into molecular origins of sexual reproduction
Professional Development Programme
- Jane Bregier-John, Head of the Paris-Saclay Faculty of Medicine Department of lnternational and European Affairs
- Charlotte Churchward, Business Development Officer, University of Exeter