LDE GMD Seed Funding 2025 - Open Call

WHY:

With the LDE GMD Seed Funding, we actively aim to stimulate:

• Interuniversity and Interdisciplinary Research
• Interuniversity and interdisciplinary Impact and Engagement

With this funding infrastructure, we create a differentiated range of calls to which interuniversity and mixed-level teams could apply. This funding kickstarts new collaborations, LDE relationships, and team science. It could also involve conference funds, student traineeships, writing retreats, and masterclass funding opportunities, in addition to kick-starting research projects.

LDE GMD seed funding will create synergies and novel avenues within LDE. It will stimulate early and mid-career researchers to get acquainted with LDE GMD, bring young scholars together, and learn from interuniversity experiences.

WHAT: LDE GMD seed funding streams

1. LDE GMD research fund: Research teams can apply for research funding that needs support. This is related to for example developing and supporting the start-up phase of an interdisciplinary research project.

2. LDE GMD events fund: Individuals or teams can apply for co-funding to support the organization of symposia, events or research meetings. This fund could cover costs for travel, hotel and consumable expenses to attract internationally renowned speakers and support (PhD) research or education.

3. LDE GMD community fund: Individuals or teams can apply for co-funding to support LDE GMD community-building. This is mainly targeted at stimulating young scholars. This could, for example, involve support for (PhD/ MSc) students or early career researchers to organize activities (with a link to research, education or professional skills development) or to link up with NGOs or other organizations.

General conditions for LDE GMD seed funding:

1. Initiatives must include collaborative ambition - Applications include at least two individuals affiliated to Leiden University, Delft or Erasmus with a substantial role (support is not intended for mono-university initiatives).
2. Initiatives must include interdisciplinary teams - Applications need to include / or be embedded in interdisciplinary teams.
3. Initiatives create LDE relevant outcomes - Application includes an clear proposal how the outcomes (f.e. blogpost, conference panel or interview) will contribute to LDE GMD.
4. Initiatives relate thematically to topics within the governance of migration/ diversity and social inequalities - Applications relate thematically to the LDE GMD research agenda and the application explicates how it thematically links with LDE GMD.

HOW: Timeline, practicalities and procedure

Timeline:

• March to April 2025 - Call for participation
• May 1^st 2025 - Deadline for all 3 seed funds streams
• May to June 2025 - Review by the Seed Fund Board (SFB) to decide on the allocation of the means
• Before July 2025 - Applicants receive feedback
• January to October 2026 - Awarded Grants need to be spent and claimed between January 2026 and October 2026

Application instructions for applicants

• Use the Application form on our LDE GMD website (see appendix) 
• Specify a clear idea in a maximum of 1000 words (wordcount without references/bibliography) in the attached template
• The budget plan needs to be specified, but is an estimation
• Eligible costs are targeted for example to bring stakeholders together to start research; fund project management support; hiring external expertise or inviting scholars; community-building including students, student teams or internships; outreach and communication; organizing events or workshops; exhibitions or performances, field trips and travel/ accommodation costs; buying or hiring materials or services. The coordination of this is the responsibility of the applicants.
• All academics (any career stage) can apply. We particularly encourage early and mid-career academics to apply.
• Each researcher can only apply once as the main applicant (please state the main applicant in the application form).
•  Recipients of previous Seed Funds are only eligible for the 2025 call when it considers a new proposal and/or team.

Procedure

• Deadline (01-05-2025) for all grant structures
• The Seed Fund Board reviews applications in May. Applications will be evaluated based on the ‘general conditions’.
• After summer 2025, all applications will receive feedback.
• We will communicate publicly about the eligible projects from March 2026 onwards on our LDE GMD website and socials, and we will reach out to faculties’ communication. 
• Awarded Grants need to be spent and claimed in 2026 (between January and October)

Assessment of proposals

Proposals are assessed based on the extent to which proposals adhere to the general conditions. All applications are involved in the assessment procedure. But the main applicant can only apply once/ for one grant scheme. The ultimate decision is taken by the Seed Funds Board and Academic Executive Board.

Communication