ENLIGHT Calls 2025: What’s New?  

ENLIGHT, a collaborative alliance of 10 universities, is dedicated to fostering cooperation between staff and students. Following the success of the first set of calls in 2024, which saw 80 applications and over 1,000 academics involved, ENLIGHT is excited to announce the second set of calls for 2025. 

Overview of 2024 Calls 

In 2024, ENLIGHT funded 10 Thematic Networks and 7 Incubator Grants. Additionally, the alliance has co-funded many ENLIGHT+ joint small initiatives. This year, the calls will again target specific types of action: ENLIGHT Incubator Grants, ENLIGHT Thematic Networks, and ENLIGHT+. 

2025 Calls 

As of 1 April 2025, the calls are open for teachers, researchers, students and professional staff members from all disciplines who are interested in setting up joint initiatives with peers from other ENLIGHT universities. Proposals should include minimum 3 ENLIGHT partners, with virtual exchange or micro-credentials requiring at least 2 ENLIGHT partners.  

• Call for ENLIGHT Incubator Grants: support the development of joint programmes, joint future-proof education projects and stepping-stones for international learning across the six ENLIGHT focus areas (deadline: 30 June 2025) 

• Call for ENLIGHT Thematic Networks: support interdisciplinary academic networks for developing joint challenge-based activities linking education, research and service to society across the six ENLIGHT focus areas (deadline: 30 June 2025) 

• ENLIGHT+ call: foster new emerging joint (small-scale, inclusive and/or sustainable) initiatives across disciplines (deadline: 31 May 2025, more deadlines to be announced)  

Main changes in the 2025 call:  

• ENLIGHT Incubator Grants will have 2 strands: 1 for the development of joint Bachelor or Master programmes (50.000 €, 2 years) and 1 for the development of other joint educational initiatives. Joint programmes will have priority, with a minimum of 10 projects funded overall for both strands.  

• ENLIGHT Thematic networks will have a shortened duration and will receive 100.000€ for 2 years. This will be the final call for Thematic Networks, with a minimum of 15 projects funded. 

• ENLIGHT+: streamlined procedure with a single application per initiative, evaluated by each partner involved.  

Full details for each call will be available from 1 April onwards via the funding page on the website 

Next steps to prepare for the ENLIGHT calls:  

1. Determine the best call for your initiative 

2. Identify ENLIGHT partners  

• Use the Partner Search tool or the ENLIGHT R&I Observatory on the website 

• Contact your institutional ENLIGHT coordinator for support 

3. Consider your budget 

• ENLIGHT Thematic Networks: maximum budget per network is 100.000 €  

• ENLIGHT Incubator Grants: maximum budget per initiative is 30.000 € for joint educational initiatives, 50.000€ for joint programmes  

• ENLIGHT+: (small) budget depends on each university (university funds). 

4. Outline your concrete plans 

• Consider quality, feasibility, output, and added value. 

5. Stay informed  

• Follow ENLIGHT communication channels: website funding page, newsletter and social media (LinkedIn, Instagram). 

This spring semester ENLIGHT members can participate in six different staff training courses (Staff Weeks), four of which are still open for applications for both academic and non-academic staff.

The objective of the ENLIGHT Staff Weeks is to boost professional development and international cooperation, exchange best practices and encourage community-building between different fields. Each ENLIGHT university organises 2-5-day on-site courses every year, the topics range from marketing and funding to HR and career services.

Courses open for application:

• Lifelong Learning University - 5-9 May (University of Tartu)
  Application deadline: 15  March 
• HR in transition / IT services / Student and academic services 13-16 May (University of Göttingen) 
  Application deadline: 15  March 
• Career Services – 10-12 June (University of Galway)
  Application deadline: 15  March
• Content marketing for university branding 11-13 June (Ghent University)
  Application deadline: 10  March

The spring courses that are not open for application anymore are following: 

• Effective Supervision of PhD Candidates 31 March - 2 April (University of Groningen)
• The Dynamics of Internationalisation 12-16 May (Comenius University Bratislava)

See all options for staff trainings in Staff Week training calendar.

Uppsala University invites educators, students, and academic professionals to submit proposals for the fifth ENLIGHT Teaching & Learning Conference. This year’s theme, Playfulness for the Future of Higher Education, explores how playful teaching methods can enhance engagement, creativity, and learning.

We are now accepting proposals for presentations, workshops, and discussions that align with the conference theme. This is a great opportunity to share innovative ideas, connect with peers, and contribute to the future of higher education.

Join us for 2.5 days of exploration into playful teaching methodologies—from board games to role-play, puzzles to treasure hunts! Together, we'll embrace spontaneity, creativity, and curiosity to reimagine learning in higher education. 

Let’s play, learn, and innovate together! 

Submission Deadline: April 15, 2025
More information & how to apply: https://onlineexpo.com/en/enlight-2025/

The third edition of the European Dialogue will be hosted by the University of the Basque Country in Donostia-San Sebastián in May 21 and 22.

The goal of this event is to provide a platform for inspiration and development of bottom-up collaborations between our academics and our regional external partners and to further develop cooperation opportunities in our sixth flagship, namely Culture & Creativity.