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York-Maastricht Partnership
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Funding

York-Maastricht Partnership funding is specifically designed to facilitate and support cross-border collaboration. We provide a range of funding streams designed to support every stage of your collaboration, from the first introductory chat to the submission of large international research grants.

Whether you are looking to develop a new research collaboration, spend time at the partner university accessing new equipment and skills or teaching a masterclass, or whether you’d like to hold a workshop to develop new grant applications or include industry and policy partners, YMP offers you the support to make it happen. There are four funding streams, each designed to be a catalyst for your research and wider collaboration plans. 

These funding calls prioritise research in YMP’s current thematic areas, which include:

  • Culture and Heritage
  • Imaging and Health 
  • Robotics and AI
  • Sustainable Planet (This theme includes biodiversity and ecology, biobased materials, crop and plant science, agritech, sustainable food systems, future farming.)

Current funding streams

Mobility grants

Best for: Building individual relationships

Innovation starts with a conversation. We offer rolling travel grants (up to €500 per person) to support York and Maastricht researchers visiting our partner institution. These grants allow you to develop new relationships, meet potential co-investigators, deliver visiting lectures, access specialised equipment, and facilitate project development. 

Visiting Research Fellowship

Best for: Developing new projects and accessing facilities

Call open 23 March to 24 May 2026.

These fellowships take your collaborations and projects to the next stage. They offer up to €3,400 for one long or several short visits to the partner university, to develop new skills or to develop a new project and put together large funding applications. They also offer the opportunity to give masterclasses and to embed yourself in a different academic culture.

Workshop funding

Best for: Scoping new themes and building large-scale networks

Do you have a group of colleagues across both universities ready to tackle a specific challenge or showcase specific areas of research? Would you like to include external partners – including industry, policymakers, or universities – to sharpen your project? We provide workshop funding (up to 5,000) to host project planning intensives, networking and development workshops, or post-project showcases. This rolling fund cover venue costs, catering, and travel for larger groups, helping you move from individual collaboration to institutional networks. 

Research seed funding

Best for: Launching high-impact, collaborative pilot projects

Call open 30 March to 30 June 2026.

Our seed funding call is the cornerstone of the partnership’s research strategy and support. We provide early-stage investment for joint projects that align with our core themes and is intended to provide the ‘proof of concept’ needed to position you well for securing external grants from bodies like UKRI, NWO, or Horizon Europe. 

Application support

The YMP team and colleagues are here to help you succeed. We recommend that all applicants:

  1. Read the YMP Funding Guidance document (PDF to download)
  2. Contact YMP early in the process for advice on eligibility, budget, and partner matchmaking (ymp@york.ac.uk)
  3. Review the applicant checklist below to ensure your proposal is robust

Checklist: ready to apply for YMP funding?

Before you submit your application for YMP funding, make sure you have worked through these steps to increase your chances of success:

  • Identify a co-investigator: All YMP funding applications must be a joint effort including both York and Maastricht researchers. Have an idea, but no partner yet? Contact the YMP team (ymp@york.ac.uk) to help you find a suitable collaborator.
  • Align with YMP’s themes: Does your proposed activity or project contribute to one of our key themes?
  • Define tangible outputs: Are you clear on what this funding will produce? Examples might be a joint publication or external funding application, a new co-taught module, or a prototype.
  • Check the timeline and scope: Is your proposed activity or output achievable within the call
    timeframe and funding?
  • Consult your department: Have you notified your head of department or research lead about your intent to apply for funding and to develop a new collaboration?