Unite! Seed Fund

The Unite! Seed Fund aims to achieve the maximum potential of Unite!. It is envisioned to provide financial support to innovative, co-creative and collaborative ideas from teachers, researchers and students across the university alliance.

The Unite! Seed Fund helps finance ideas coming from the Unite! community, from the students, researchers, and teachers of the 9 Unite! universities. The Seed Fund offers financial support to collaborations between at least two Unite! partners. The goal is to help get your project started and get your collaboration on the right track. 

Co-creation and innovation are within Unite!'s DNA. The Unite! Seed Fund initiative intends to promote the evolving ideas that are a result of cooperation between the different members of the Unite! community.

Apply for Unite! Seed Fund 2025

The current call for the Unite! Seed Fund is open until 20th March 2025.
It will cover all three funding lines: Student Activities, Teaching & Learning and Research & PhD.

Research&PhD and Teaching&Learning proposals must address on the Unite! Focus Areas: Sustainable Energy; Artificial Intelligence; Industry 4.0; Entrepreneurship; Engineering Biology (and Biotechnology); Space; Cybersecurity; and Sustainable Cities & Water.

Discover the three Unite! Seed Fund funding lines:

Unite! Focus Areas

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Successful Unite! Seed Fund projects

Since the launch of the Unite! Seed Fund we received 131 applications from the whole Unite! community. From those 45 applications got funded (10 for student activity, 16 for teaching & learning & 19 for research and PhD), have a look below to find out more information about the different projects:

Bridging Gaming and Health(care)

The Seed Fund initiative "Unite! Games for Health" aims to establish an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Programme (EMJM) focused on the development and application of Serious Games for health..

TU Darmstadt, TU Graz, Aalto University, UPC, ULisboa, Grenoble INP-UGA

Fleets of robots in harsh environments

The project consists of planning and development activities, leading to a sustainable, long lasting research environment in the deployment of reliable robot fleets in challenging conditions

Aalto , UPC & Graz & Wroclaw

Unite! Online Language Cafe

The UOLC is an extracurricular peer-to-peer activity to use, practice and deepen language knowledge in a safe environment

TU Darmstadt , Grenoble INP-UGA & Aalto University & KTH & TU Graz & Wrocław University of Science and Technology.

Crossroads of Speech and Language - 2nd Cycle

In its second funding phase, the Unite! Graduate School of Speech, Language, and AI Technologies aims to expand the doctoral program and establish a network across its nine partner universities.

TU Graz , Aalto University & Grenoble INP-UGA & KTH Stockholm & Politecnico di Torino & TU Darmstadt & TU Graz & ULisboa & Wroclaw Tech & UPC Barcelona

RoboEthic

This project focuses on the socio-technological demands of converging robotics, AI, and IoT, aiming to equip students from various disciplines to face and navigate these complexities.

TU Graz , Grenoble INP-UGA & Aalto University & PoliTO

How do we teach maths in Europe?

This seed fund project will assess freshmen's maths skills and create a toolkit and interactive MOOC to improve university onboarding.

TU Graz , ULisboa & Wroclaw Tech & KTH with support from MIT Boston

Addressing Global Challenges: AFEM

The project aims to develop advanced electrospun membranes for water treatment, proposing new multifunctional technology to remove micropollutants during filtration.

PoliTO , TUDa & Grenoble UGA

Stabilisation of neurodegeneration-linked amyloid proteins

The project aims to understand how pathological processes are regulated in the human brain to develop mitigating therapies.

TU Darmstadt , ULisboa & PoliTO

Unite! Poster Contest on Architectural Energy for Sustainable Development

All Unite! bachelor, master and PhD students are warmly invited to design a poster on Architectural Energy for Sustainable Development. A successful Seed Fund project by PoliTO and Wroclaw Tech.

PoliTO , Wroclaw Tech

Safety of underground transport infrastructure

This project aims to fill the gap of learning initiatives focusing on the safety of underground transport infrastructure within the European academic education and offer a dedicated summer school.

TU Darmstadt , TU Graz & PoliTo & Wroclaw Tech

Versatile Engineers of the future

Engineers now need skills in project management and leadership. The 4S Trainers Group at Wroclaw Tech launched a program for Unite! students, to tackle this need.

Wroclaw Tech , ULisboa & PoliTO

Unite! Seed Fund Ideathon

The project aims to unite students from all partner universities to brainstorm and craft project proposals for the upcoming Unite! Seed Fund call, fostering teamwork and learning sessions.

TU Graz , Aalto University & UPC

Microplastics, the ubiquitous thread

The project aims to improve current wastewater treatment techniques by combining microplastics and nanoplastics separation methods with spectroscopic tools.

UPC , Grenoble INP-UGA & PoliTo

Enhancing teaching and learning of Fluid Power and Systems

The aim is to establish sustainable practices and promote the international exchange of knowledge and experience in this area of higher education

UPC , Aalto & Wroclaw Tech & TUDa

Astreum Deluge

Two student rocketry associations, PWr in Space from Wroclaw Tech and ÆSIR from KTH, will design, build, and launch a shared rocket.

Wroclaw Tech & KTH

Freshman math skills and anxiety evaluation

Three Unite! partner universities are joining forces to address the issue of freshman math skills and anxiety and create an inclusive learning environment for students and teachers.

TU Graz , ULisboa & Wroclaw Tech

Fostering Innovation Ecosystems for a Green Mobility Transition

The project aims to support companies and stakeholders in achieving the EU's climate neutrality goals by researching ways for sustainable road transportation ecosystems.

TU Graz , Aalto University & KTH

Crossroads of Speech and Language

Researchers lay the foundation for a Unite! Graduate School pioneering Speech, Language and AI Technologies education and aligning Master's and Ph.D. programmes.

TU Graz , Aalto University & Grenoble INP-UGA & KTH & PoliTo & TUDa & ULisboa & Wroclaw Tech

Advancing Intelligence: Next-generation brain-like AI

Unite! researchers will work on an innovative proposal in automatic learning artificial intelligence (AI) based on a neuromorphic approach, inspired by the neural networks of the human brain.

UPC , IST & KTH

International PhD Workshop on Renewable Biotechnology

Scientists from TU Graz, TU Darmstadt and KTH Stockholm will foster the collaboration in Biotechnological research and PHD training to expand their leading position in research.

TU Graz , KTH & TUDa

Unite! OER courses

Unite! is adopting UNESCO's Open Science and OER recommendations, by pioneering multilingual OER courses at all Unite! universities. The vision:  A Unite! Open Science Academy.

TU Graz , Aalto & TUDa & KTH & ULisboa & UPC & Grenoble INP-UGA & PoliTo & Wroclaw Tech

BatFire

Researchers investigate the fire risks of large battery electric vehicles, with the aim to redefine the safety landscape of electric mobility for the future.

TU Graz , PoliTo & TUDa & Wroclaw Tech

Quorum Project

The project focuses on designing a curriculum of study modules that address urban water challenges.

Aalto University , Polito & KTH & UPC & Ulisboa

Connect and Search, Collaborate and Engage!

Unite! will create a knowledge graph tool that unveils the vast potential for research and innovation to expedite collaboration with all potential partners for research and university teaching.

UPC , KTH & TUDa

SLUMP

The SLUMP project seeks to identify innovative approaches for bringing decision-making closer together in land-use and mobility policy and practice

Aalto university , PoliTo & ULisboa & UPC

Science
Unite! Science

A diverse group of researchers and Ph.D. students participated in the workshop to discuss energy, green transition, and climate, aiming to contribute to a more sustainable future.

Wroclaw Tech , PoliTo & UPC

Space Tech Unite!

The objective of the project is to create a collaboration network for the teaching of Space-related subjects within the Unite! universities.

Aalto university , Grenoble INP-UGA & KTH & PoliTo & UPC & ULisboa

Project
ARISE project

Both teams aimed to participate in a rocket challenge. One team required a payload for their rocket, while the other team needed to obtain data and test a flight computer.

KTH & TU Darmstadt

Book Club
U! Book Club

Creation of a Unite! Reading Club that promotes critical thinking among its students, facilitating the exchange of ideas, recommendations and experiences in an IR and non-academic environment.

UPC , Grenoble INP & Aalto University