The Research Development Fund (RDF) is an annual competitive grant scheme designed to foster innovative, high quality research among member universities. The RDF provides seed grants to support research projects in the University for Sustainability themes. This funding may cover the costs of exploratory research initiatives, targeted workshops, faculty exchanges and the formation of collaborative networks, among other activities.
The University for Sustainability (US) is committed to producing innovative research that influences policy and improves lives. The RDF facilitates world-class teams through the Open Sustainability Research Cloud and their development, combining their resources and building on complementarity to address priority areas for 2018.
To qualify for a grant, these collaborations must include at least three US member institutes and span at least two geographical regions. Proposals are particularly encouraged that address one or more of the Global Challenges, as well as one of US’ developing cross-cutting themes. Applications that incorporate a research mobility component for early career researchers and postgraduate students are also encouraged.
Applications for US funding close on 30 October 2018. For more information, contact your local institutional US Coordinator or the US Programme Office.
US Member Funding Plans A number of US member institutes offer seed funding to support the development of US research programs. These programmes are open to researchers at the member institute and are available at times determined by the member institute. Contact your institutional US Coordinator for further information.
Independently of US researchers are encouraged to explore opportunities with US partners and collaborators including the International Group of Funding Agencies for Global Change Research and the Belmont Forum
The International Group of Funding Agencies for Global Change Research (IGFA) is a forum for national scientific funding agencies to collaborate in addressing the challenges and opportunities of global environmental change.
The Belmont Forum, a group of high-level representatives from major funding agencies across the globe, is the Council of Principals for IGFA. In order to meet the goals of the Belmont Challenge, the Belmont Forum coordinates funding for collaborative research actions. These high-priority research activities improve the way funding agencies collaborate with each other and develop opportunities for research.
