Research Development Fund call now open

The WUN Research Development Fund (RDF) provides grants of up to £10,000 for one year, to foster research collaborations among academic staff at WUN member universities. Priority is given to well-defined proposals which aim to create new international research links or develop existing ones, and on which a diverse team of collaborating partners confers distinct advantage. Applications from Early Career Researchers are particularly welcome.

In line with the WUN Strategic Plan 2023-2026, proposals are encouraged that address problems in one or more of the following areas within the context of sustainable development:

• Social justice and human rights; inequality
• Sustainable world: cities and urbanization; energy transitions; water and food security
• Mental health; child and maternal health; ageing
• Responsible and ethical applications of Artificial Intelligence

Grants from the RDF are intended to help launch larger projects that will strengthen research partnerships across the network.

RDF 2024 submission timeline

Each member institution is limited to two submissions per call each year. Bristol researchers interested in applying should therefore follow the timeline below to allow for internal shortlisting.

• Tuesday 18 June: Bristol call opens. Complete the WUN RDF 2024 Internal Application Form (Office document, 937kB)
• Wednesday 4 September (12 pm BST): deadline for submission of draft proposals to rd-international@bristol.ac.uk.
• Wednesday 18 September: announcement of shortlisted RDF proposals. Invitations to develop full proposals.
• Friday 18 October (9 pm BST): deadline for submission of full proposals to WUN via their application portal.

Staff who are interested in submitting a proposal can contact jo.brooks@bristol.ac.uk for further information.

Information on current and previous RDF projects can be found in WUN's research projects database.