The Berlin University Alliance (BUA) and the University of Melbourne (UoM) invite joint workshop proposals aimed at developing competitive applications for external funding. Each workshop must be co-led by at least one eligible Principal Investigator (PI) from UoM and one from a BUA institution. The call is open to all disciplines with a strong encouragement for interdisciplinary teams, and the participation of Early Career Researchers.

Call for Joint Research Workshops: Berlin University Alliance & University of Melbourne

The Berlin University Alliance (BUA) and the University of Melbourne (UoM) invite joint workshop proposals aimed at developing competitive applications for external funding. Each workshop must be co-led by at least one eligible Principal Investigator (PI) from UoM and one from a BUA institution. The call is open to all disciplines with a strong encouragement for interdisciplinary teams, and the participation of Early Career Researchers.

Workshops in Berlin or Melbourne

The scheme supports teams to organise joint research workshops in 2026 in Berlin or Melbourne with the explicit aim of preparing and submitting an external funding proposal. Workshops should initiate new collaborations or significantly strengthen emerging ones. Established partnerships must demonstrate a clear step change, such as pursuing a new research direction or positioning the collaboration for a new funding call.

Funding for Four Workshops

Up to four joint workshops will be funded, awarding a maximum of €10,000 / AUD 16,000 per project. BUA and UoM will jointly provide the funding (up to €5,000 for BUA-based researchers and up to AUD 8,000 for UoM-based researchers). Teams must complete all activities and travel before November 2026 and use all funds within the designated funding period.

Eligibility criteria

Applications must be led jointly by at least one eligible PI from a BUA institution (Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin or Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin) and one from UoM each holding an appropriate academic appointment for the full duration of the award.

Key Dates

• Application deadline: 30 March 2026 at 15:00 AEDT; one joint application via UoM SmartyGrants portal
• Outcomes released: End of April 2026
• Start date of awards: 1 June 2026

Full details on eligibility, funding rules, submission procedures, and evaluation criteria are available in the complete call for proposals, downloadable as a PDF at the bottom of this page.

For further enquiries on the call for proposals, please contact:

For the University of Melbourne PIs:

The Researcher Development Schemes team Research, Innovation & Commercialisation The University of Melbourne (res-devschemes@unimelb.edu.au)

For the Berlin University Alliance PIs:

Kathinka Rosenkranz, Coordinator Joint Partnerships by email: kathinka.rosenkranz@berlin-university-alliance.de or phone: 030 2093 20084