3i Network and NeurotechEU funding - 2025
[OPEN- 06/10/2025] Funding for International Research and Mobility
Applications accepted on a rolling basis until 6 October 2025 (final date for submission)
As part of its Initiative of Excellence, the University of Lille is launching a new call to support international cooperation projects developed in connection with two of its strategic networks: the 3i University Network (KU Leuven, Ghent University, University of Kent, University of Lille) and the European Alliance NeurotechEU (European University of Brain and Technology).
This scheme aims to foster impactful and sustainable collaborations with high-level international partners. It supports both outgoing mobility and collaborative initiatives, in order to strengthen research and training partnerships, prepare joint applications for international funding, or organise international events involving 3i or NeurotechEU partners.
Funding may cover travel costs, consumables, or services (excluding salaries), up to a maximum of €3,000 per project.
The call is open to:
academic staff
research staff
support and administrative staff
⇒ from the University of Lille and its affiliated institutions: Centrale Lille, CNRS, Inserm, Inria, INRAE, IMT Nord Europe, CHU Lille, and Institut Pasteur de Lille.
Please note that this scheme is not open to PhD students.
Projects already funded under the 3i Network in the past two years are not eligible. All funded activities must take place in 2025 and be completed by 31 December 2025.
Applications will be evaluated as they are received. Once approved, funding will be allocated without waiting for the final deadline. We therefore encourage early submissions.
To apply, please send your application form to: internationalnetworks@univ-lille.fr File name: FundingNetwork_2025_[ProjectAcronym]
You can download the full call and the application form here:
Interreg VI-A France–Wallonie–Vlaanderen - 3d call for projects
[OPEN - 03/11/2025]
Cross-border cooperation for more inclusive and sustainable territories
Deadline for pre-proposals:3 November 2025 at 12:00 (CET)
The Interreg France–Wallonie–Flanders programme supports cross-border cooperation initiatives between northern France, Wallonia and Flanders. The current call for proposals (3rd wave) is open to academic institutions, public bodies, NGOs and private partners located in the programme area.
Project proposals must contribute to one of the following thematic priorities:
Better water management and adaptation to climate change
Inclusive employment and support to the social economy
Equal access to quality healthcare across borders
Projects must involve partners from at least two countries in the programme area and demonstrate a genuine cross-border added value.
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships (PF) aim to support the international mobility of researchers holding a PhD and wishing to acquire new skills through advanced training and career development. They are open to researchers of any nationality who wish to carry out their research in Europe or outside Europe (Global Fellowships). Host institutions must be established in the EU or associated countries (UK is eligible).
Two schemes are available:
European Fellowships: 1–2 year projects hosted in the EU or associated countries;
Global Fellowships: 2–3 year projects including a mandatory return phase to Europe.
Fellowships are designed to strengthen the creative and innovative potential of researchers who want to pursue a career in academia or beyond. Applicants must have a maximum of 8 years full-time research experience after PhD at the call deadline.
This is an excellent opportunity for early career researchers across the 3i Network to expand their international research experience.
The British Council in France has launched the Springboard Programme ("Programme Tremplin") to support the development or reinforcement of scientific collaborations between French and British laboratories, with a strong involvement of early career researchers. This initiative is part of the British Council’s Going Global Partnerships Programme.
While other schemes such as the Seed Meetings (administered by the French Embassy in London) focus on initiating new research collaborations, and the Sophie Germain programme funds the research phase, the Springboard Programme is aimed at boosting or expanding existing collaborations. The objective is to facilitate the mobility of teams of early career researchers between the UK and France, with the aim of encouraging joint grant applications (notably Horizon Europe) and collaborative publications.
Who can apply?
Applications must be jointly submitted by senior researchers (established group leaders) from France and the UK who wants to developp new collaborations or are already working together on a common research topic.
Each project can involve up to 10 participants, with a focus on including at least six early career researchers.
Participants from other EU countries or from the private sector can be included as additional partners.
Applicants are encouraged to promote the involvement of under-represented groups within their teams.
What fields are considered?
Applications in the fields from the six following Horizon Europe thematic priorities will be taken into consideration:
Health
Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society
Civil security for Society
Digital, Industry and Space
Climate, Energy and Mobility
Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
All disciplines are welcome (medicine, biology, social sciences, arts and humanities, physics, chemistry, environmental sciences …). Priority will be given to multidisciplinary proposals.
This call is especially intended for teams wishing to prepare applications for European and international funding (e.g. Horizon Europe).
Find all the necessary information (guidelines, what will be funded, the form, additional information):
The European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants support excellent researchers 2 to 7 years after their PhD, with a promising track record and a bold research idea.
The scheme funds individual projects led by a Principal Investigator (PI) who is establishing their own research team or programme. Projects must be hosted by an institution located in an EU Member State or associated country (including the UK).
Key features:
Up to €1.5 million over 5 years (plus optional €1 million for start-up costs);
Open to all scientific disciplines;
Bottom-up approach – no thematic restrictions;
Prestigious and internationally recognised grant to accelerate an independent research career.
A unique opportunity for 3i Network researchers to launch high-impact, independent research at the European level.
Mobility grant - Artificial Intelligence
[CLOSED - 2024] Franco-Belgian scientific mobility grant
This grant cannot be combined with the PHC Tournesol and post-PHC grants from the French Embassy in Belgium.
Deadline: applications will be processed on a rolling basis until the available funds are exhausted
The Embassy of France in Belgium created a grants program to finance research stays in France in order to accelerate the best projects in hydrogen and artificial intelligence carried out between France and Belgium.
The research stay must be part of the development of a new cooperation between a French laboratory and a Belgian laboratory in the fields of artificial intelligence. It will offer a doctoral student, post-doctoral student or young researcher from the Belgian partner the opportunity of staying between one and three months in the laboratory of the French partner.
The mission must imperatively end no later than December 31, 2024.
The funding covers a stay of one to three months (€1,704 net/month), access to accommodation at reduced price, health insurance and travel costs between Belgium and France (covered by the French Embassy).
Find out more about the eligibility criterias and procedures:
3i University Network Joint call for projects 2022 - 2023
[CLOSED]
In 2020 the University of Kent, Université de Lille, KU Leuven and Ghent University established the Interregional Internationalisation Initiative, the 3i University Network. The main goal of the network is to bring together universities, regional governments and the private sector/civil society to work on challenges common to Flanders, Kent and the Hauts-de-France. By virtue of their proximity, the three regions share challenges in a number of areas, including, but not limited to
Marine and maritime questions (blue energy, preservation of the coastal environment…)
Climate and energy (net zero, sustainability, energy security etc)
Nutrition and health (sustainable, healthy alternative food sources, …)
Communities and well-being (migration and refugee studies, vulnerability and inclusion of ageing populations and people with disabilities,…).
In order to enhance cooperation between the 3i-partners, the members of the 3i University Network have decided to put out a call for proposals for collaborative projects. This call aims to support academic staff of the four partners who want to set up or increase their cross-border collaborations with the specific goal of submitting joint project applications for larger grants.
Maximum funding available per project: €10.000 for one project per thematic cluster of the 3i University Network. Total budget available for this call is 40.000€.
Springboard Programme for UK-France ECR partnerships
[CLOSED - 30/09/2024] Franco-UK scientific mobility grant
Deadline: 30 September 2024 at 5pm (CET)
The British Council in France and in Germany have jointly decided to launch the Springboard Programme call in order to amplify either starting or existing scientific collaborations between French, German and British labs involving early career researchers. This scheme ispart of the British Council Going Global Partnerships Programme.
While the French Embassy in London are adiministering Seed meetings targeted at bringing together researchers at the very start of their collaborations, and the Sophie Germain funding scheme targeted at funding the reseach part of collaborations, the Springboard Programme will aim at developping new partnerships or strengthening existing collaborations between the UK and France or Germany. It will facilitate mobility between groups of early career researchers with a view to lead to joint grant applications (especially with Horizon Europe) and joint publications.
Who can apply ?
All applications need to be collectively submitted by established research team directors in France and the UK, with a demonstrated history of collaboration on a shared research project.
Maximum of 10 participants per application with a focus on incorporating six early career researchers.
Partners based in other EU countries or the private sector can be added to the project.
Lead applicants are asked to also consider encouraging participation from researchers from under-represented groups in the teams implementing their proposed activities.
What fields are considered ?
Applications in the fields from the six following Horizon Europe thematic priorities will be taken into consideration:
Health
Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society
Civil security for Society
Digital, Industry and Space
Climate, Energy and Mobility
Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
All disciplines are welcome (medicine, biology, social sciences, arts and humanities, physics, chemistry, environmental sciences …). Priority will be given to multidisciplinary proposals.
This call is especially intended for teams wishing to prepare applications for European and international funding (e.g. Horizon Europe).
Find all the necessary information (guidelines, what will be funded, the form, additional information):
3i University Network Joint call for projects 2023 - 2024
[CLOSED]
In 2020 the University of Kent, Université de Lille, KU Leuven and Ghent University established the Interregional Internationalisation Initiative, the 3i University Network. The main goal of the network is to bring together universities, regional governments and the private sector/civil society to work on challenges common to Flanders, Kent and the Hauts-de-France. By virtue of their proximity, the three regions share challenges in a number of areas, including, but not limited to
Marine and maritime questions (blue energy, preservation of the coastal environment…)
Climate and energy (net zero, sustainability, energy security etc)
Nutrition and health (sustainable, healthy alternative food sources, …)
Communities and well-being (migration and refugee studies, vulnerability and inclusion of ageing populations and people with disabilities, …).
In order to enhance cooperation between the 3i-partners, the members of the 3i University Network have decided to put out a second call for proposals for collaborative projects. As the first call, this second call aims to support academic staff of the four partners who want to increase their cross-border collaborations with the specific goal of submitting joint project applications for larger grants.
Maximum funding available per project: €10.000 per project of the 3i University Network.
This is the PHC with the Flemish community of Belgium, for the PHC with the French community (Wallonia-Brussels federation) click here.
Deadline: March 28, 2024
PHC - TOURNESOL 2025 is a scientific exchange programme supported by FWO and the Embassy of France in Brussels in which travel grants are allocated in the framework of selected scientific mobility projects. The goal of such grants is to further sustain and expand the collaborations between Flanders and France.
Only applications co-submitted by Belgian researchers to the authorities responsible for the programme in FWO will be accepted.
Duration of projects: 2 years (01/01/2025 – 31/12/2026)
All scientific disciplines are eligible
The funding covers travel and accommodation expenses of junior researchers with a maximum of 2.000 euro per project per year (on Flemish side as well as on French side).
At Flemish side, the exchanges can only be performed by predoctoral researchers or postdoctoral researchers with maximally 12 years postdoctoral seniority.
At French side, involvement of junior researchers is highly appreciated. The scientific seniority of the French Principal Investigator and the exchanged researchers at French side will be taken into account in the evaluation process.
Find out more about the eligibility criterias and procedures:
Research networks in HSS - Climate and environment
[CLOSED - 03/05/2024] Franco-international funding
Deadline: May 03, 2024 befre 17:00 GMT+1
The Fondation Maison des sciences de l'homme (FMSH) in France launched its call for application in order to support international research networks in the human and social sciences. This call aims to support the creation or strengthening of international research networks on societal challenges to enable scientific communities to structure themselves, collaborate and give greater visibility to their work.
This year's theme is: climate and environment.
Synergies between human and social sciences (SHS) and life and earth sciences (SVT) are strongly encouraged.
The call is open to researchers from all disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, starting from the PhD level, as well as to research centers.
The coordinator must be associated or affiliated with a French research institution or higher education establishment that will host the project for its duration. The other members of the network may be doctoral students, post-doctoral fellows or researchers without affiliation in France or abroad.
Financial support is granted for a period of two to three years for a total amount between 5 000€ and 30 000€ over the period. This support is intended to cover expenses related to the network's activities (travel, meetings, workshops, etc.).
Find out more about the eligibility criterias and procedures:
