NTNUs Global South Initiative is announcing seed funds with the aim of building and strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration within research, education and innovation, with higher education and research institutions in the Global South, that contribute to more applications for external funding and dissemination.

The application for seed funding should include minimum one partner institution from Low- and Lower Middle-Income Countries (LMIC)¹ in the identified thematic areas of the Global South Initiative:  

• Just climate transition and renewable energy​ 
• Global Health – Public Health and Health System strengthening​ 
• Global development and social justice​ 
• Biodiversity and environmental sciences​ 

In addition, cross-cutting fields of interest for partners in the Global South may be included. 

There is up to 1,400,000 NOK available for this call, and we will award a maximum of 200,000 NOK to each seed funding project.

Application deadline 21 October 15:00 (CET), 2026.

Who can apply?

Employees at NTNU in permanent scientific positions or other recruit positions with an engagement that lasts to the end of this project, who are interested in building or strengthening partnerships with institutions in the Global South, can apply. The person submitting the application must be the project leader for the seed funding project.

Timeframe: The project must be undertaken in 2026 and/or 2027, and the funds must be used no later than December 2027.

What can you apply for?

You can apply for funds for activities that will contribute to interdisciplinary applications for external funding for projects within research, innovation and education (e.g. Horizon Europe, ERASMUS+, The Research Council of Norway, Norhed, HK-Dir or other sources). You must specify which existing/announced call(s) the project will target.

Groups with a long track record of existing collaborations with partners in Global South may also apply for dissemination of outputs from earlier projects, but with a focus on developing new initiatives.

Activities that may be included in the seed funding project will typically be workshops, writing retreats, seminars, study tours, and inviting guests/potential collaborators. Funds cannot be applied for salary compensation (‘frikjøp’) for academic employees (in permanent or temporary positions). Salaries for research assistants (vit. ass) can be included, but this cannot amount to more than 50% of the total sum applied for. Each project can be in the range of 50,000 NOK to 200,000 NOK. There is no requirement for self-financing or additional funding from other sources.

The seed funds can supplement, but should not replace, PES funds when it comes to projects aimed at Horizon Europe.

Application requirements

• The project must contribute to realizing the goals of the Global South Initiative.

These are:

• Further reinforce NTNUs partnerships with institutions in LLMICs and ensure inter-disciplinary breadth and scale in such partnerships​
• Actively participate in policies/ priorities for global knowledge collaborations in national and international arenas
• Make collaboration with LLMICs a priority within NTNUs strategy for internationalization
• Increase visibility of NTNUs partnerships with partners in LLMIC and foster more robust and sustainable engagement.

More details on the goals and justification for the Initiative: Rektor’s decision to establish the Initiative, Report of the Working Group on Global South partnerships

• The project should be a collaboration and include active participants from different disciplines across institutions in North and South. It is also encouraged but not mandatory to include participants from least one other faculty/VM at NTNU. In addition, the project must include active collaboration with at least one institutional (higher education and research) partner in LMIC countries, as defined above.
• It is assumed that the Head of Department where the project leader is employed is informed about and supports the application. To confirm this please tick the box in the application form.
• A budget for 2026-2027 showing how the funds will be used.
• A brief overview of ongoing research, innovation and educational collaboration activity relevant to NTNU Global South Initiative, for the most central NTNU employees involved in the project.
• Clearly defined role for the partner(s) from the LLMIC partner institution. Applicants are encouraged to follow guidelines for equitable partnerships
• Plan for implementation, including ethics and a brief account of efforts made to limit travel activity (cf. NTNU's travel guidelines)
• The application must be written in the template, within a maximum of 3 pages (font 11), and must be written in English. Applications that do not follow the template will not be considered.

Download english tempelate

Upload the template and fill out the online form:

Upload your application here

Application deadline 21 October 15:00 (CET), 2026.
Decision on allocation is expected in mid December.

Questions can be directed to Elin Yli Dvergsdal, Secretariat for Global South Initiative
E-mail: elin.y.dvergsdal@ntnu.no

Evaluation criteria

• Relevance to the goals of the Global South Initiative
• Scientific originality and ambitions
• Feasibility

Applications will be assessed by the Internal Advisory Board of the Global South Initiative. Final prioritization and allocation will be approved by Prorector Monica Rolfsen in discussion with Committee for Outreach and Social Responsibility (SAFU) based on the evaluation criteria, and thematic and disciplinary variation will be taken into account.