International Partnership Development Fund (IPDF)

The IPDF is now open. In 2025, IPDF will be running two different funding schemes.
Type 1 (original strand) closing date is 28 February 2025.
Type 2 (new strand) closing date is 10 March 2025. If you are interested in applying for Type 2 then please provide your college contacts (contacts are in the application section below) with a notice of intention by mid-February.

Our international strategy, Global Glasgow 2025, reaffirms our institutional commitment to global connectedness and collaboration. University of Glasgow staff can apply for funding for international activities that align with the priorities of the strategy via the International Partnership Development Fund (IPDF). Note that all applications require 50% match funding support from your School/College or Service.

Who is it for: The IPDF is for University of Glasgow staff. It is not suitable for PhD students.

The most successful applicants discuss ideas in advance so that their aims align with the School/College and/or with the region. We encourage you to contact the relevant Dean for Global Engagement, as well as your local internationalisation contacts (see below) whilst drafting your application.

Funding: Up to a maximum of £5000 plus 50% match funding support from your school or college, please refer below for details on the approval process.  The maximum project cost is £10,000 and this must include the match funding. Applications should show in detail how the funding will be allocated.

The IPDF is in year funding and so successful recipients must complete the activity before the end of July. Funding cannot be carried over to the next financial year.

What is it for: We are introducing two types of application for this call.

  • Type 1 is for the establishment of new partnerships in the initial phase of development or to build new strands with existing partnerships.
  • Type 2, IPDF Research Seed Funding, is a new strand which seeks to deepen relationships with existing international partners by facilitating the development of joint research activity. Colleagues are encouraged to consider opportunities for research development with academic contacts from our list of priority partners. 
 Type 1 Type 2
Establishment of new relationships  Deepen existing research relationships with named partners
Requires college-level strategic alignment Requires pre-application agreement with the international partner
Up to £5000 plus £5000 match funding Up to £5000 plus £5000 match funding
Exploratory  Initial stage of a research application
Any partner, priority for existing relationship (see map) Specific list of partners

2024/25 funding round dates

1. Opened 1 August 2024, closed 19 September 
2. Opens 29 January 2025. Type 1 closes 28 February and Type 2 closes 10 March 2025.

Notes

The IPDF is for University of Glasgow staff. It is not suitable for PhD students.

Applicants should read the IPDF privacy notice

All successful applicants must complete a progress report and, if requested, provide additional information to be used as a case study for the webpages.

No new IPDF applications will be considered until previous progress reports are completed.

Contact

Any questions please email externalrelations-partnershipfunding@glasgow.ac.uk

The Deans for Global Engagement may also be able to help with any regional questions.

Further support

Type 1: IPDF for new partnerships / new strands with existing partners

Type 1 is for the establishment of new partnerships in the initial phase of development or to build existing relationships. 

The IPDF is to support the initial development of international partnerships.

Priority will be given to IPDF applications that:

  • clearly demonstrate the potential benefits of proposed activity in relation to the priorities set out in our International Strategy: Global Glasgow
  • develop new strands with existing partners - map of existing relationships 
  • are developing articulation pathways,
  • use the international travel to explore multiple strands of activity (whether this is visiting several partners in a region or exploring more than one topic, e.g. following your own international partnerships aims and also arranging meetings or promotion on behalf of your school or college),
  • build on work with existing partners or develop a new relationship of strategic importance to the School or College,
  • offer opportunities for members of staff, schools and regions that have not yet accessed the IPDF,
  • address how you plan to communicate your project as a case study.

Expected outcome
The funding should be used to strengthen an international relationship and there should be a specific plan for further collaboration with the identified international partner.

Examples of the areas suitable for Type 1 IPDF

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) activity 
Developing an articulation pathway
Summer schools at international partners and other blended/short term mobility routes (at all levels) - note this is for exploratory stage in setting up a summer school, not to fund summer school teaching
Large delegation visit to a priority or potentially new University partner (either within or cross-college)
Online collaboration with partner
Incoming visits/meetings from international partners
Student recruitment
Staff mobility aimed at building a sustainable partnership
Capacity building (professional/personal development)
Extension of conference travel for partnership development at a School or College level (i.e. IPDF should not to be used for solely conference travel)

Type 2: IPDF Research Seed Funding

Type 2, IPDF Research Seed Funding, seeks to deepen relationships with existing international partners by promoting the development of joint research activity with the list of priority international partners below. 

Type 2 will support staff undertaking research development work with one of our pre-identified international partners (see list below). The funding can be used to deepen collaborations which have the potential to lead to externally funded grant awards and joint research publications.

The selection panel will prioritise applications that have evidence of some mirror funding or support from the international partner.

If you are interested in applying for Type 2 then please provide your college contacts (contacts are in the application area below) with a notice of intention by mid-February.

Expected outcome
The funding should be used to develop joint research activity and identify external funding opportunities with the aim of applying for an external award and/or publishing joint papers or other joint research output.

Type 2 priority international partners

Type 2 IPDF is specifically to prepare research activity with an already identified partner from the list below. 

The Americas
McGill University, Canada
McMaster University, Canada (U21)
Northeastern, USA
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (U21)
Tecnológico de Monterrey (U21)
The Smithsonian Institution, USA
UC Davis, USA (U21)
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil
University of Connecticut (UConn), USA (U21)
University of Denver, USA
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA (U21)
University of Maryland, USA (U21)
University of the West Indies (UWI), Caribbean

Europe
Aarhus University, Denmark (GUILD)
Aix-Marseille Université, France (CIVIS)
Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania (GUILD)
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Germany (CIVIS)
Ghent University, Belgium (GUILD)
Jagiellonian University, Poland (GUILD)
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
KU Leuven, Belgium (U21)
Lund University, Sweden (U21)
National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA), Ukraine
Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria (CIVIS)
Pompeu Fabra University, Spain (GUILD)
Radboud University, Netherlands (GUILD)
Sapienza Università di Roma, Italy (CIVIS)
Stockholm University, Sweden (CIVIS)
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Greece (CIVIS)
The University of Bern, Switzerland (GUILD)
University of Bologna (GUILD)
University of Göttingen, Germany (GUILD)
University of Groningen, Netherlands (GUILD)
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia (GUILD)
University of Oslo, Norway (GUILD)
University of Tartu, Estonia (GUILD)
University of Tübingen, Germany (CIVIS/GUILD)
University of Vienna, Austria (GUILD)
UCLouvain, Belgium (GUILD)
Université de Lausanne, Switzerland (CIVIS)
Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium (CIVIS)
Université Paris Cité, France (GUILD)
Université PSL, France (GUILD)
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Spain (CIVIS)
University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland (U21)
University of Amsterdam, Netherlands (U21)
University of Bucharest, Romania (CIVIS)
University of Zurich, Switzerland (U21)
Uppsala University, Sweden (GUILD)

East Asia
Fudan University, Japan (U21)
Korea University, Korea (U21)
Nankai University, China (TNE partner)
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, (SJTU), China (U21)
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), China (TNE partner)
University of Hong Kong (U21)
Waseda University, Japan (U21) 

Middle East and North Africa
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia
Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU), Saudi Arabia
Université Hassan II de Casablanca, Morocco (CIVIS African partner)
Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique, Morocco (ARUA)
University of Sfax, Tunisia (CIVIS African partner)

Central and South Asia
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, IISER Pune, India
Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, India
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India
O.P. Jindal Global University, India
University of Delhi, India (U21)

South-east Asia and Australasia
Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
National University of Singapore (U21)
Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), Singapore (TNE partner)
UNSW Sydney, Australia (U21)
Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia (U21)
University of Auckland, New Zealand (U21)
University of Indonesia
University of Malaya
University of Melbourne, Australia (U21)
University of Queensland, Australia (U21)
University of Sydney, Australia (U21)

Sub-Saharan Africa
Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique (CIVIS) 
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Ghana (ARUA)
Makerere University, Uganda (CIVIS African partner/ARUA)
Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria (ARUA)
Rhodes University, South Africa (ARUA)
Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Senegal (CIVIS African partner/ARUA)
Université de Kinshasa, DR Congo
University of Cape Coast, Ghana (ARUA)
University of Cape Town, South Africa (ARUA)
University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (ARUA)
University of Ghana, Ghana (ARUA)
University of Ibadan, Nigeria (ARUA)
University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa (U21)
University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa (ARUA)
University of Lagos, Nigeria (ARUA)
University of Mauritius, Mauritius (ARUA)
University of Nairobi, Kenya (ARUA)
University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria (ARUA)
University of Pretoria, South Africa (ARUA)
University of Rwanda (ARUA)
University of Stellenbosch, South Africa (ARUA)
University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa (CIVIS African partner/ARUA) 

In addition

We will consider applications for work with universities that have recently participated in an institutional visit

If you wish to collaborate with a university not included on the list, please provide evidence of a proven track record and research synergies with the proposed partner. Ensure that you discuss your plans at the college level and secure college-level support prior to submitting your application.

Application process and match funding / support (School/College or Service)

1. Download and complete the application

Download and complete the relevant application form. Note that you will need to provide evidence of match funding and for Type 2 you will also need evidence of an intention to support from the partner (see below for details).

Type 1: IPDF for new partnerships (closing date is 28 February 2025)

Type 2: IPDF research seed funding (closing date is 10 March 2025. If you are interested in applying for Type 2 then please provide your college contacts with a notice of intention by mid-February).

Please check the process for your college (below) and note that for some colleges the internal deadlines will be sooner.

2. Evidence of support for your application

During the application you will be required to provide evidence of match funding and School/College or Service support for both Type 1 and Type 2.

We strongly advise that you contact your college contacts as you are planning your application so that they are aware of your application.For Type 2 then please provide your college contacts (below) with a notice of intention by mid-February.

2.1 Match funding

Any applications that do not include evidence of School/College support and match funding support will not be considered.

You must provide evidence of School/College financial support. If you are applying from a service, you will need to show evidence of match funding and support this can be from your section or your head of service.

2.2 Central endorsement

Your completed form should also be shared with the contacts below so they can review and provide evidence of support.

2.3 Partner support (Type 2)

Type 2 applications will also need to provide a letter of support from the international partner. This can be a letter or email where your academic contact / project co-lead state that they are aware you are submitting this application and commit to participate in the proposed project, if successful.

3. Decision on the IPDF application

Any applications that do not include evidence of School/College support and match funding support will not be considered.

The application will be reviewed and you will be notified of the outcome, usually this will be within three weeks. Note that we are unable to fast track applications close to the closing date so please ensure that you leave enough time for a decision before your travel dates.

If successful, then funding is usually transferred to the project code provided on the application - there will be a delay if a project code is not provided. Transfers can only take place at the end of the month.

4. Start your IPDF activity

You are responsible for arranging your own travel (usually using the same arrangements that you normally use within your school).

The IPDF is in year funding and so you will need to arrange and carry out the activity set out in your application before the end of July. 

Travel and funding criteria

Funding

  • Applications should not exceed £10,000 (this includes match funding). Note that as the IPDF is to support short visits, it is unusual for applications to be awarded the maximum amount.
  • The money is usually transferred to the central college project codes unless full details of other project codes are provided on the application form (see application process).
  • The funding is in-year funding, therefore it must be spent before 31 July. 
  • The funding does not cover conference travel or expenses, although it can be used to support an extension of conference travel as long as the IPDF award is used for partnership development at a School or College level.

Travel

  • Note that External Relations do not arrange travel, all applicants must arrange their own travel.
  • Once you receive the decision, please arrange your travel as soon as possible as we cannot provide any uplift of funding if there are increased costs.
  • To ensure that as many applications as possible are funded, the IPDF will support economy class or rail travel (or related costs for support of projects). If an applicant wants to upgrade their travel then they must budget this separately, not as part of an IPDF application.
  • All applicants should refer to the University's sustainable travel guidance.
  • All bookings must be made via the University travel agency. 

Please follow the latest University travel advice and be sure to arrange insurance. You should fill in the free University of Glasgow Travel Insurance form online.  Further details on the University’s travel insurance can be found here. 

Progress reports and case studies

Progress report

All successful applicants must complete an online IPDF progress report to update on the project and the specific and measurable success metrics and objectives in the initial application.

Progress reports will be shared with the relevant Dean for Global Engagement and the College International Dean. All reports are uploaded on the  International Funding Sharepoint site.

2023/2024 progress report

2024/2025 progress report

In addition, you may be asked to provide progress reports to the Dean for Global Engagement and to the Business Development Managers at your college at regular intervals throughout the year, this could include participating at events to promote the fund.

If you have an outstanding progress report from a previous round, you may not apply for further funding.

Case studies

By applying you are agreeing that we may use your experience as a case study on our web pages. Any additional materials, such as images, social media mentions, or videos, would be greatly appreciated.

We will look favourably on applications that address how you plan to communicate your project.