Purpose of the seed grants

The STARS EU Alliance proposes the joint procedure for preparation of the proposals to stimulate research collaboration among nine partner universities. Researchers from STARS EU universities can submit proposals for seed funding to develop collaborative research and innovation projects. The Alliance will provide seed grants intending to leverage inter-university collaboration.  The objectives of the seed funding are to:  
  • provide support to the STARS EU researchers for preparation of joint research and innovation projects,  
  • leverage inter-university collaboration in research and innovation,  
  • encourage more extended multi-and cross-disciplinary research,  
  • increase the capacity of the preparation (writing) the proposals for research and innovation projects to be submitted to Horizon Europe and Framework programmes (FP10) calls.  
 For the STARS EU alliance to be successful and sustainable it is important to actively search and apply for external funding. Within the STARS EU research community it is the Thematic Interest Groups (TIGs) that facilitate joint research applications with subject related focus. Identifying well suited calls across this vast research funding landscape, building a consortium and writing the application requires significant resources.  The topic of the proposals should be linked with the STARS EU Priority Areas. The proposals should clearly explain these links. The multi-and cross-disciplinary research projects are preferred.

Guidelines
Application (download the .zip file)
Budget (download the .zip file)

Funding requirements

Applicants can apply for financial support up to € 3 000/per STARS EU partner involved in the project. e.g. in case of three partners a grant amount will be 9 000 EUR. In practice, each university will finance the expenses of its participating researchers.  In case the project includes external partners to the Alliance partner/s they should be requested to contribute to the preparation of the proposal with the same amount (3 000 EUR). The STARS EU seed grants can cover costs associated with: 
  • Costs related to international consortium meetings/writing sessions.  
  • External consultancy services including: 
  • Writing research proposal 
  • An extra pair of eyes’ in the final stages of preparation of a funding application 
  • Proof reading of the proposal 
  • Support to improve the visual quality of applications, such as design of tables and infographics. 
 In the case the external consultant will be engaged in the proposal’s preparation, a declaration of confidentiality is required to ensure the confidentiality of the proposal that the information will not be disclosed to any third parties. The seed grant funding pilot call starts in April 2024 and runs until March 2025. The continuous monitoring of the call will be ensured, and the call will be evaluated and relevant improvements will be applied.

Eligibility of Applicants

Representatives (researchers/early-stage researchers/PhD students/etc.) of the STARS EU partners can submit a proposal for a seed grant. The envisaged project must have a clear link with the STARS EU strategy and STARS EU Priority Areas.  In order to be eligible, the application must include at least three STARS EU partners and be submitted to STARS EU at least three months before the deadline of submission of the envisaged Horizon Europe or FP10 call.  

Application Procedure

The seed grant application should not exceed four pages, including the budget, use appointed application template and budget format. Submissions must be in PDF format, in one single document.   This is a continuous call. The applicant should send the completed application form by email to starseu@org.hanze.nl   Proposals will be processed in the order in which they were received and in a confidentiality approved process.   The applicants shall be informed about the decision of the assessment committee asap, but ultimately within three weeks after submission. 

Assessment Criteria

All submitted applications will be evaluated by an ad hoc assessment panel consisting of representatives of STARS EU Steering Committee. The assessment criterias include: 
  • Clarity of the project idea and how the envisaged project addresses the objectives of the relevant call 
  • Relevance of the envisaged project for the overall STARS EU strategy and Priority Areas (see more: www.starseu.org)  
  • The feasibility of completing the proposal before the submission deadline  
  • Maturity and relevance of the consortium (including a description of relevance of each partner in the project)  
  • Multi- and cross-disciplinary projects will have a priority 
  • Track record of the project coordinator with leading international projects 

Terms and Conditions: Financial Procedure

A concise final report is expected within 3 weeks after submission, including: 
  • financial justification of the expenses claimed (with a budget breakdown, based on actual costs), 
  • proof of the submission to the Horizon or FP10 portal,  
  • a copy of the submitted funding application.  
 Payment of the funding will only take place after the actual submission of the funding proposal. The part of the granted subsidy that has not been used lapses.   The applicant will be responsible for assembling all claims relevant to the grant and for payment of any eligible cost statements from consortium members. The cost summary and request for payment is due within three weeks after the submission deadline of the funding scheme.   Do you need other support in preparing an EU project proposal? Please contact STARS EU Funding Expert Group starseu@hv.se.

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