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UCL and Yonsei University are contributing matching funds to support collaborative education and research initiatives through a joint call for proposals for collaborative activities.
Projects
This call invites proposals for partnership development activity in areas of mutual interest and complementary strength that will deepen research and education collaboration between UCL and Yonsei.
Proposals should be co-led by a Lead Applicant at each institution and can involve a wider team of participants from each institution, as appropriate to the activities proposed.
Proposals from all fields are welcome but those related to the following fields are particularly encouraged:
• Health, particularly biomedical sciences and neuroscience
• Energy, including battery technologies and semiconductors
• Quantum technologies
• Interdisciplinary approaches are strongly encouraged, especially those that foster collaboration in cultural understanding
Up to six joint projects will be selected for funding. Proposals will be assessed by a committee composed of members from both institutions.
• Applications must demonstrate how the proposed activity will provide a platform for longer-term, larger-scale collaboration between UCL and Yonsei in the relevant field, for example, by providing a basis for ongoing joint research and education activity and / or applications to external bodies for research grant funding.
• Following South Korea’s association to Horzion Europe in January 2025, applicants are particularly encouraged to consider how funding available through this fund can be used to provide a platform for applications to calls under Pillar 2 of Horizon Europe. In the application form Section 2, applicants should be as specific as possible in outlining next steps, e.g. in identifying the Cluster and call to which they intend to apply, other European partners who may be involved, and providing a broad timeframe.
Eligibility
UCL Applicants
Applications are open to UCL staff members with the following roles. Applications from Early Career Researchers, or staff with equivalent professional training are welcomed:
• Professor or equivalent
• Associate Professor/ Reader or equivalent
• Senior Lecturer/Principal Researcher/Principal Research Associate or equivalent
• Lecturer/Senior Research Associate or equivalent
• Post Doc/Researcher/Research Associate or equivalent
Applicants from UCL must have an open-ended UCL contract or a fixed-term contract which lasts until at least July 2027.
Principal Investigators from UCL should be aware of the rules stipulated on the Partner Funds page.
Yonsei applicants
Yonsei applications should be full-time faculty (tenure-track) at Sinchon and International Campuses. Graduate students, Post Docs, and Research assistants/associates are not eligible to apply, but their involvement in the delivery of the project is permitted.
Institutional Guidelines
Please check each university’s guidelines regarding research ethics and export controls. Applicants are responsible for reading these guidelines and ensuring projects adhere to each university’s approval policy and process.
UCL’s research guidelines can be found here:
- UCL Research Ethics Committee
- Research Integrity
- Export Controls: academic activity involving international partners or travel may be subject to export controls. Therefore, as part of our awarding process, UCL will need to share the project details of all successful applicants with the UCL Compliance & Assurance (C&A) team. All UCL awards are therefore provisional, subject to a review by the C&A team for export control compliance. Should the C&A team confirm that your project is subject to export controls, your award is contingent upon you being granted an export licence. In such a situation, no project activity can begin until the licencing process is complete. Fortunately, we have yet to have a licence application refused for any projects that require one. Please note that this only applies to the UCL project team.
Value
Up to six joint projects will be selected for funding to a maximum total value of approximately £10,000 per project (£5,000 by UCL and KRW 10,000,000 by Yonsei).
Timeline
Call for Proposals: 20 May 2026
Deadline for submission of proposal: 11:59pm (UK time) on 19 June 2026
Communication of results to applicants: By the end of July 2026
Start date of Awards: August 2026
How to apply
- Download a copy of the full guidance and read it carefully.
- Use the application form
- All applications must be jointly developed by a Principal Investigator from UCL and Yonsei.
- All applications must be submitted online via the UCL portal. Access here.
- Only complete submissions will be considered.
- Late applications will not be considered.
Contact
If you have any questions about the UCL-Yonsei University Strategic Partner Funds, please contact:
At UCL:
Keiko Tsunekawa
Global Engagement Manager
k.tsunekawa@ucl.ac.uk
At Yonsei University:
Yoojin Park
Yonsei Frontier Lab at Yonsei
ysfrontierlab@yonsei.ac.k
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