Exeter x Paris-Saclay Strategic Partnership - 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:

1. Seed Fund Grant

Call open

Supports short-term mobility for teaching and research staff from both institutions.

  • Maximum funding: €2,000 / £1,700
  • Application deadline: 5 June 2026.

2. Visiting Research Student Fellowship Programme

Call to be announced in early September 2026

Supports short-term research visits (2–12 weeks) for PhD candidates.

  • Funding range: €1,500 to €4,500 depending on duration
  • Application deadline: early November 2026.

3. Accelerator Grant

Call open

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.

4. Professional Development Programme

Call to be announced in early September 2026

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: early November 2026.

Application information

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.

Application links:

Seed Fund Grant: https://demarche.numerique.gouv.fr/commencer/strategic-partnership-seed-fund-grant 

Accelerator Grant: https://demarche.numerique.gouv.fr/commencer/strategic-partnership-accelerator-grant 

 

Seed Fund Grant

exeter_-_saclay_seed_fund_grant_guidelines_2026.pdf - ( 331.64 KB)

Accelerator Grant

exeter_-_saclay_accelerator_grant_guidelines_2026.pdf - ( 358.94 KB)

Visiting Research Student Fellowship Programme

exeter_paris-saclay_vrs_guidelines-1.pdf - ( 344.28 KB)
exeter_paris-saclay_vrs_application_form.docx - ( 46.17 KB)

Professional Development Programme

exeter_paris-saclay_staff_mobility_guidelines-1.pdf - ( 213.42 KB)
exeter_paris-saclay_staff_mobility_application_form.docx - ( 41.22 KB)

For any questions, please contact:

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
  • Reham Alharbi, Centre for Cultural History of Contemporary Societies (CHCSC) – How Denys Johnson-Davies as a Case Study Interacts with a Range of Critical Fields
  • 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