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To stimulate unusual, interdisciplinary collaborations that aim for societal impact two new grants have been set up: the Spark Grant and the Unusual Collaborations Grant. The grants are an initiative of The Centre for Unusual Collaborations. By taking away as many barriers as possible for young academics, the Centre wants to encourage the set-up of research between researchers that would otherwise not collaborate. The centre is part of the strategic alliance between TU/e, WUR, UU en UMC Utrecht.

The Centre for Unusual Collaborations (CUCo) is one of the core teams in the partnership between the four institutions and has been set up by the Young Academies of those partners. By joining forces, the Young Academies will be able to address the societal challenges of today and of the future in a more sustainable way. 

Collaboration with partners of the alliance

For both grants, the Spark Grant and the Unusual Collaborations Grant, participation of at least three alliance partners is required for a proposal. The grants are designed to enable long-lasting interdisciplinary science collaborations and scholarships that aim for societal impact.

Grants and requirements

The Spark Grants are meant for initial financial support to explore and develop a new idea and to form an interdisciplinary team, while the Unusual Collaborations Grants support multi-year collaborations. Applicants must be members of the Young Academies at the alliance partner institutions or their plus ones. Proposed projects should have a clear societal goal. Please find more information here.

Meeting 27 October for Spark Grants

The call for proposals is now open. The first upcoming meeting on Spark Grants is planned for 27 October 2020 from 1pm to 3pm. If you are interested in applying for the grant this year make sure to attend the upcoming meeting. The deadline for the next round is 1 February 2021.

Join the network

To join the active network of the alliance, receive information directly on the upcoming meetings and activities of the Alliance Young Academy/Centre for Unusual Collaborations, please contact Florian1.Albronda@wur.nl to be included on the mailing list.

The aim of the strategic alliance between TU/e, WUR, UU en UMC Utrecht is to contribute to societal transitions through education, research and valorisation. The institutions believe that solutions to the major challenges facing the future can only be realised if there is intensive cooperation across the boundaries of knowledge, institutions and programmes. This is done by putting talented researchers at the helm and by working together across disciplines.