FHI Interdisciplinary Seed Fund
Overview
Only one round per year.
The Interdisciplinary Research Funding Scheme is intended to provide support for interdisciplinary research initiatives led by Arts and Humanities Scholars in response to emerging and changing societal challenges locally and globally. This seed-funding scheme is aimed at bottom-up initiatives aligned with the Future Humanities Institute’s Laboratories, Clusters, Centres and Projects. This scheme will prioritise collaborative interdisciplinary work led by Arts and Humanities researchers working with partners across disciplines inside or outside our College across the UCC Futures Areas.
Seed funding is intended to help start scholarly collaborations that are daring, forward-facing, and that intend to build new relationships, partnerships, and bodies of work that might lead on to further projects. Part of the activity of seed funded projects may involve seeking sources of funding or other support that would allow the project to continue after the seed funding end date. This fund is intended to allow groups of daring scholars to establish new, exploratory partnerships that have the potential to be transformative.
Applicants may apply for up to €3000, and there will be a limited number of awards. There will be only one competition per year.
2025/6 Call Opened: 23 October 2025. Deadline: 20 November 2024.
Terms and Conditions
- Project teams led by permanent and fixed-term academic staff from Schools, Departments and Disciplines in Schedule 1 of the College Rules are eligible to apply.
- The application must be led by, and the teams must be lead by, scholars affiliated with Arts and Humanities, and who align with the mission of the Future Humanities Institute.
- Costs may be sought for expenditure on travel for conference attendance or network development, conference support or management, archival research, equipment purchase, publication or dissemination costs, or other such costs as an applicant may appropriately justify in relation to the terms of the scheme. Teaching buyout costs must be approved by Head of School as College, as appropriate, in advance of the application submission.
- Applications for the funds will be assessed by a sub-committee of the Research and Innovation Committee and will be evaluated on a competitive basis according to the following criteria.
- Excellence of qualifying research project 20
- Excellence of proposed research team 20
- Clarity of definition of interdisciplinary innovation 20
- Quality of response to societal challenges 20
- Alignment with the vision of the Future Humanities Institute 20
5. Applications must be supported by the relevant Heads of School and must be submitted electronically using the appropriate application form. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
6. Announcements of the awards will be made in November/December 2025. Any funding which is granted must be expended and claimed by 30 September 2026.
7. For approved grants, expenses must be carefully detailed. Expenditure must be vouched, including proofs of payment.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted using the online application form (available when the 2025/6 call opens).