Organization: Worldwoide Universities Network
Application Deadline: October 17, 2025
Location: N/A

Overview

The WUN Research Development Fund (RDF) 2025 supports collaborative research addressing global challenges and theSustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Open to researchers from WUN member universities, the fund encourages proposals across all career stages, with a special focus on early-career researchers.

Eligibility

• The RDF is open to academic staff (faculty members) at WUN member universities.
• Project teams: A project must engage at least three WUN member universities across at least two regions
• Projects may include non-WUN universities and external partners but must have an active core of WUN member universities.
• Projects led by early career researchers are especially encouraged.
• Matching funds: In the past, awards made from the RDF required matching support from the applicants’ home universities.
• Matching cash contributions are encouraged but not required and will not factor in the review.

Benefits

Award funds should be expended within 12 months. Funds unspent at the conclusion of the 12-month award period may be recalled by WUN.

Please note that, should you identify categories of expenditure that would benefit the success of your project and are not listed here, the WUN Secretariat would be happy to respond to your queries.

• A maximum of one in-person event that requires air travel (for example planning workshops, international project team meetings or conferences). Costs associated with virtual meetings are not subject to this restriction.
• Exploratory research initiatives.
• Formation of collaborative networks
• Engagement of students through remote guest lectures and master classes
• Assistance from individuals where critical to the project (see “what expenditures are not funded by the RDF for further detail)
• Access to necessary software
• External project website or other multimedia production and development
• Data collection
• Development and implementation of survey instruments
• Access to online databases
• Access to general samples from panel survey companies
• Contribution to open access fees of up to £1500
• Primary data collection costs
• Activities related to other data collection (Costs of /acquiring/copying policy documents and literature where these are not available via institutional libraries/databases)
• Transcription costs
• Consumable equipment costs for the sole use of the project such as primers, probes, reagents, pipettes etc.
• Prototype production
• The development and production of dissemination reports

WUN RDF 2025 focus

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

• 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

How to Apply

Applications must be approved for submission to WUN through an internal review at the principal investigator’s university. Your local WUN Coordinator will provide guidance on securing this approval.

Each member university may submit up to two applications on which its academic staff (faculty) are principal investigators. There is no limit on the number of applications on which a member university or individual can be a co-investigator.

Applications, submitted online through the WUN online application portal, are due by Friday, 17 October 2025 at 21.00 UK time. Internal deadlines at many member universities will be earlier.

Prospective applicants considering a submission should contact their local WUN Coordinator well before the application deadline. The WUN Coordinator will be able to provide advice about eligibility, preparing the application, internal deadlines, and the university’s internal review.

Applications must be accompanied by:

• Program budget outlining key areas of expenditure (a common template will be provided).
• CV of the principal investigator (1 page maximum) with URL links to partner investigator CVs.

Applications that are incomplete or received after the closing time will not be considered. The outcome of the review will be announced on 15 December 2025.

For successful applicants, award funds in GBP will be deposited in February 2026 via bank transfer to the principal investigator’s nominated university account after receipt of an invoice from the university, and the establishment of the project page on the WUN website.

Visit the official WUN webpage to apply

Please note: Applications will not be considered for this fellowship unless all eligibility criteria are met. You should carefully check that you can meet the above criteria before requesting application information.

For more information, please visit the WUN webpage:

https://wun.ac.uk/article/wun-research-development-fund-2025/