Seed Fund for Research Excellence – Call for Applications

The Cormack Consultancy Group (CCG) invites applications for the Seed Fund for Research Excellence, supporting small-scale, high-impact research projects led by Ukrainian universities in partnership with international institutions.

The Fund aims to strengthen international research collaboration, build institutional capacity for managing joint projects, support early-career researchers, and prepare teams for larger grants such as Horizon Europe.

Amount of funding: Proposals may request up to £30,000, but applicants should carefully consider their capacity to deliver the proposed activities and spend all awarded funds within the timeframe. The total budget available for this call is £540,000.

Who can apply

  • Ukrainian higher education institutions and their international partners

  • Existing UK–Ukraine Twinning partnerships and other established collaborations (including non-UK partners)

  • Partnerships may include additional universities and relevant non-academic partners (e.g. professional bodies, NGOs), where justified.

Key details

  • Maximum grant amount: up to £30,000 per project

  • Eligible activities: collaborative research, workshops, mobility, training, publication development and similar

  • Call opens: 21 November 2025

  • Application deadline: 20:00 (GMT), 16 January 2026

  • Project end date: no later than 28 February 2027

The recording of the Drop-in Information Session, held on 2 December 2025 at 14:00 (GMT) / 16:00 (Kyiv time), is available here.

The presentation of the Drop-in Information Session is available here.

Application form and accompanying documentation

Completed applications must be sent by email to
twinning-grants@consultcormack.com
with the subject line: “Seed Fund – [institution’s name]”
no later than 20:00 (GMT), 16 January 2026.

Funding Source for the Seed Fund for Research Excellence

The Seed Fund for Research Excellence is financed through independent philanthropic contributions. For the purposes of contracting and financial reporting, Cormack Consultancy Group (CCG) serves as the grantor and administrator of the fund. Grant payments for successful projects are transferred directly from CCG to the institutions, in line with the approved project budget and the terms of the grant agreement.

All information relevant at the application stage, including eligibility, eligible costs and key delivery expectations, is set out in the published Guidelines for Applicants.

For Call Guidelines, templates and Selection Criteria, or for any questions about the application process, please contact: twinning-grants@consultcormack.com.