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North Sea University Partnership

The North Sea University Partnership (NSUP) is a consortium of eight UK and Norwegian Universities aiming to strengthen ties between Norwegian and UK universities, facilitating collaboration, addressing challenges, and cultivating a conducive environment for academic and research partnerships.

  • North Sea: energy, green transition, marine research, and other relevant topics – The NSUP partnership opens up exciting opportunities for UK–Norway collaboration on North Sea challenges, from clean energy and the green transition to marine science and other shared priorities.
  • Cultural heritage – The NSUP partnership creates opportunities to work together to advance interdisciplinary research and education on cultural heritage, safeguarding shared histories and promoting innovative, cross-cultural dialogue.
  • The Arctic – Through the NSUP partnership, we offer an outstanding platform for interdisciplinary research and education on Arctic issues, bringing together expertise from across disciplines and borders.
  • Health – Through our partnerships, we foster high-calibre interdisciplinary research aimed at understanding and addressing critical health challenges on a global scale.

NSUP Research Seed Fund 2026

Now open for applications. 

The North Sea University Partnership is pleased to announce the launch of its first call of Research Seed Funding, to further strengthen research collaboration among its partner institutions.

Through a competitive process, NSUP will jointly advertise, select, and fund collaborative research projects involving at least two NSUP institutions. Successful projects are expected to lead to outcomes such as third-party funding applications, larger-scale interdisciplinary collaborations, and significant joint publications. In its first year, the call will prioritise proposals addressing the NSUP key priority areas: energy, the green transition, marine/maritime research, and resilience/security. We encourage interdisciplinary perspectives across science, humanities and social sciences related to these North Sea priorities.

The selection panel will aim to achieve a balanced portfolio across these priority areas. Projects may request up to £25,000 for activities lasting 12 to 24 months, with each project researcher funded by their respective institution. Participation of each applicant will be funded and supported by their home institution.

The call opened on 19 February 2026, with a submission deadline of 20 May 2026 at 12 noon GMT.

York-specific guidance

  • Applications should be submitted via the NSUP online application form.
  • Project costs should be submitted through the Worktribe approval process.