The North Sea University Partnership is pleased to announce the launch of its first call of Research Seed Funding, to further strengthen research collaboration among its partner institutions.

Through a competitive process, NSUP will jointly advertise, select, and fund collaborative research projects involving at least two NSUP institutions. Successful projects are expected to lead to outcomes such as third-party funding applications, larger-scale interdisciplinary collaborations, and significant joint publications. In its first year, the call will prioritise proposals addressing the NSUP key priority area:

North Sea priorities: energy, the green transition, marine/maritime research, and resilience/security. We encourage interdisciplinary perspectives across science, humanities and social sciences related to these North Sea priorities.

The selection panel will aim to achieve a balanced portfolio across these priority areas. Projects may request up to £25,000 for activities lasting 12–24 months, with each project researcher funded by their respective institution. Participation of each applicant will be funded and supported by their home institution.

The call will open on 19 February 2026, submission deadline of 20 May 2026 at 12pm (GMT)

For full information on the application process, please see here: NSUP Research Seed Fund 2026 - North Sea University Partnership

Please complete the application by referring to the full APPLICATION GUIDELINES

NSUP Research Seed Fund 2026 - Durham-specific guidance:

• Casual/ flexible staff may be employed for up to 12 weeks OR for up to 12 months at 0.2 FTE or less. For fixed term flexible appointments, a mini role descriptor outlining key requirements is needed (Research Assistants should be costed at Grade 6).
• Please note that these roles must be costed by Lorna Winship, Research Funding Programme Manager, as National Insurance and rolled up holiday pay must be added to the hourly rate.
• Applications follow two pathways: the online application form and the Worktribe approval process. Both must be completed. For support with project costing or setting up Worktribe projects, contact Lorna Winship at ris.funding@durham.ac.uk.
• PhD students cannot be costed onto these projects.
• Due to the short-term nature of this funding, new employment contracts will only be considered by exception and HR employment procedures must be followed. Please factor this into your project as new recruitment can take up to 3 months.

Once your application is finalised, please upload it to Worktribe (via the documents tab) or email it to ris.funding@durham.ac.uk. Lorna will extract any additional information required and submit the bid for departmental approval