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Call Text

In Spring 2026, Global Engagement seed funding call to support the development of global collaboration in education, research, and innovation and entrepreneurship is open until 1st of June, 2026. 

The total budget for this call is €94 000. The funding is targeted to be used by 31 August, 2027. Detailed descriptions of the call deadline, eligibility criteria, application, and evaluation process are available in the text below.

Funding for development of international partnerships 

The Global Engagement Seed Funding supports the development of international partnerships and global mobility in education, research, and innovation and entrepreneurship.

Grant size (please pick one):

• Small: up to 2,500 euros (e.g., short visits for exploring/developing collaboration, networking meetings). 
• Medium: up to 5,000 euros (e.g., short stays for joint work, joint studios, workshops)
• Large: up to 10,000 euros (e.g., research cooperation, larger workshops, joint teaching, other cooperation projects).  

Total available funding is 94 000 euros for year 2026 for this purpose.

Please note that no overheads are applied for internal projects (YK=0%). Allocation for education, research, innovation and entrepreneurship. Distribution of the funding between the different fields will be based on the proposal quality and how many proposals are received in the different categories.  

Purpose of the grant (pick one): 

• Education 
• Research 
• Innovation and/or entrepreneurship 

Activities should: 

• Aim to strengthen and develop international partnerships toward deeper, long-term collaboration in education, research, or innovation and entrepreneurship. 
• Align with Aalto University’s strategy. 

Funded activities should: 

• Identify, develop, or test new forms of cooperation that add value to the partnership, or 

• Develop, sustain, or intensify mutually beneficial existing cooperation.  

Eligible costs 

• Travel costs for Aalto faculty, staff, and students (in accordance with Aalto travel policy). 
• Other costs related to  organization of events (e.g., stationery, workshop materials, catering, rent of venue).:
  • Meetings/visits to prepare joint projects. 
  • Networking events (e.g., workshops, seminars) that bring together faculty, staff, and/or students to strengthen existing collaborations and foster new links. 

  • Collaborative events involving staff and students from both institutions to explore new ideas for cooperation. 

Non-eligible costs, which cannot be charged to the project 

• Direct travel costs for partner institutions’ faculty, staff, or students cannot be covered. 

• Salaries at Aalto University or at partner universities cannot be covered. For Aalto personnel, salaries are expected to be covered by the applicant’s department/school. 

General restrictions 

• Because there are separate, designated seed funding calls for collaboration with Technical University of Munich (TUM), KU Leuven, , Indian and US universities, initiatives with these institutions are not eligible for this Global Engagement Seed Funding. 

• Export control and sanction laws as well as considerations on research security regarding collaboration with institutions in countries mentioned in the pages Due diligence processes at Aalto University | Aalto University (country list in Due Diligence guidelines) may restrict the possibility to receive funding under this instrument. For instance, if the collaboration partner is designated by the authorities on a sanction list, or EU has imposed sectoral sanctions against the country of the collaboration partner, Aalto University will reject the application. 

Eligibility and evaluation criteria 

• The applicant must be an Aalto University employee with a current work contract valid at least until 31.12.2027. 
• The proposal: 
  • Is clear, logical, and realistic. 
  • Clearly explains how it supports or further develops international collaboration and the partnership between the institutions. 
  • Lists the expected outcomes (for the partnership) and the next steps for further development. 
  • Demonstrates the potential of the partnership and the collaborators involved. 
  • Shows strong interest and support from the partner organization.

Scoring 

• Alignment with Aalto’s strategy (relevant for the chosen theme: education, research, or innovation and entrepreneurship): 20% 
• Project quality, design, and appropriateness of the  budget: 40% 
• Feasibility and implementation: 20% 
• Impact and expected outcomes: 20% 

• Total: 100% 

Application format and submission 

Please submit your application via Webropol via this link:    

Deadline: 1st of June, 2026, 23:59:59 (Finnish time).

Please include a project plan (max. 3 pages, in English, pdf format) with the file name: Yourlastname_Projectname_research_plan.pdf 

One summary slide of the project with the file name: Yourlastname_Projectname_summary.ppt 

Focus on the following key facts

1. Acronym and title of the proposal
2. Participants of the proposal at Aalto, and their departments and Schools; collaborative partners outside Aalto
3. Abstract: 500 characters
4. Project description, taking into account the evaluation criteria listed above
5. For the internal seed funding, give a rough plan of the use of the seed funding (travels, workshops, meetings) and the months in which the proposal preparation will take place.

After submission, you may download the submitted proposal in pdf format from the left upper corner of the summary page.

Evaluation process 

Proposals are evaluated across the themes of education, research, and innovation and entrepreneurship: 

• Education: Mervi Rantanen, Senior Specialist, Learning Services 
• Research: Krisztina Cziner, Head of Platform Services, Research Support Services  
• Innovation and entrepreneurship: Tomi Erho, Head of Innovation Ecosystem Services 

Final funding decisions are made by Kirsi Kettula, Head of Global Engagement. 

The applicants will be informed via email about the outcome of the decision by 26th of June 2026.

Call schedule (2026)

• Call open between 15.4.–1.6.2026 

• Funding decisions will be announced by 26.6.2026. 

• Funding to be used between: 1.8.2026–31.7.2027 (12 months) 
• The granted funding is targeted to be used by 31st of August, 2027

Reporting and extensions 

• Reporting: Submit a brief (1–3 slides) PowerPoint report describing project progress, outcomes, and next steps to jerome.rickmann@aalto.fi b²â 30.9.2027 at the latest. 
• Extensions are not favored. If absolutely necessary, permission must be requested from the Head of Global Engagement, Kirsi Kettula. 

In case you have any questions related to the call, please contact:  

• Jérôme Rickmann, Senior Advisor, Global Engagement; email Jerome.rickmann@aalto.fi, phone: +358 50 4305770   

•  Kirsi Kettula, Head of Global Engagement; email kirsi.kettula@aalto.fi, phone: +358 50 5999819