International Partnership Development Fund (IPDF)
The IPDF is now open.
Type 1 closing date is 28 February 2025. Type 2 (new strand) closing date is 10 March 2025.
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, to build up relationships and explore opportunities.
- Type 2 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.
Please refer to the types of activities and examples of projects below. The fund is not designed to be an alternative source of funding for direct research activity.
| Type 1 | Type 2 |
|---|---|
| Establishment of new relationships | Deepen existing relationships with named partners |
| Requires college-level strategic alignment | Requires pre-application agreement with the international partner |
| £5000 plus £5000 match funding | £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 22 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 - establishment of new partners
Type 1 is for the establishment of new partnerships with new partners in the initial phase of development, to build up relationships and explore opportunities.
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
- applications for work with existing partners will get priority - visit our map of international partners
- 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.
Examples of the areas suitable for Type 1 IPDF
| Example of activity |
|---|
| 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) |
| Collaborative international research opportunity at a School or College level |
| 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 - development of joint research with existing named partners
Type 2 seeks to deepen relationships with existing international network partners by promoting the development of joint research activity. There is a list of priority partners for this second strand, where colleagues are encouraged to consider opportunities for research development with academic contacts there.
Type 2 IPDF will support staff undertaking exploratory work with one of our pre-identified international partners (see list below). The funding can be used to initiate/deepen collaborations which have the potential to lead to externally funded research projects.
The selection panel will proritise applications that have mirror funding from the international partner.
Type 2 IPDF partners
Type 2 IPDF is specifically to prepare research activity with an already identified partner from the list below. This includes any partners from our international network partners:
- CIVIS
- African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA)
- The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities
- Universitas 21 (U21)
TNE partners:
- Nankai University, China
- Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), Singapore
- University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), China
In addition work with the following:
- Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, India
- McGill University, Canada
- National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA), Ukraine
- Northeastern, USA
- Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU), Saudi Arabia
- University of the West Indies (UWI), Caribbean
Application process and match funding / support (School/College or Service)
IPDF applications are now online
2024/2025: IPDF application form
Note that you will be able to save and revisit your application before final submission, however we encourage you to keep a copy of your answers.
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. We strongly advise that you contact your college contacts as you are planning your application for advice so that they are aware of your application.
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 (e.g. email from Head of College/College Secretary and/or College Head of Finance). 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 Support
Services: support from your line manager and your head of service.
Arts and Humanities: Zoe Strachan (Zoe.Strachan@glasgow.ac.uk)
MVLS: Andy Waters (Andy.Waters@glasgow.ac.uk) and Lindsey Pope (Lindsey.Pope@glasgow.ac.uk)
Science and Engineering: Vanessa Johnson (Vanessa.Johnson@glasgow.ac.uk)
Social Sciences: Colleagues who work within the College of Social Sciences should follow the process outlined here to submit an IPDF application. Questions on this process should be sent via email to socsci-international-engagement@glasgow.ac.uk
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 within three weeks.
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.
Funding and travel advice
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.
- If you receive funding in an early round then please arrange your travel as soon as possible.
- 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.
- Foreign travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- For the latest travel advice:
Progress report
Progress report
All successful applicants are expected to complete an online IPDF progress report to update on the project and the specific and measurable success metrics and objectives in the initial application.
These 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.
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 a pending progress report then you may not be able to apply for further funding.