Leiden University Global Fund
Leiden University has a long tradition of collaboration with international partners. The Leiden University Global Fund (LUGF) was established in 2024 to encourage more such successful and strategic partnerships. This fund helps staff take their international activities to the next level.
The LUGF aims to intensify strategic relations and cooperation with important partners all around the world. It consists of two components:
- Funding for larger strategic collaboration initiatives worldwide;
- Funding for implementation activities in designated key regions;
These two components provide substantial funding for both smaller grassroots activities and larger initiatives, on the condition that they align with Leiden University’s strategic focus.
Funding for strategic collaboration initiatives worldwide
We think it is important to pursue international partnership opportunities that correspond with our university strategy. These could be activities such as international student experiences, innovative teaching programmes, joint research projects and community engagement initiatives that intensify partnerships and increase the impact of the institutions involved. This component provides grants for matched funding, projects or programmes that allow our global partnerships to flourish.
An example of this is The Hague Global Futures Hub, a joint initiative with The University of Edinburgh aiming to change the academic landscape in The Hague by offering future-focused teaching and research opportunities with The Hague’s international community. Another example is the partnership with the Asian Development Bank, which facilitates joint projects in the region and advisory roles for researchers from Leiden University.
Mail complete matched funding requests year-round to globalfund@bb.leidenuniv.nl.
Funding for regional activities
One priority of Leiden University’s international strategy is to work closely with academic institutions in the Global South. We encourage projects that bring different southern institutions together (South-South collaboration) and achieve our goals by investing in activities with partners in the important regions of Africa, Latin America, Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia. Initiatives are funded through a seed fund and the call for proposals opens every September. Find out more about this call and how to qualify for funding.
You can apply for matched funding throughout the year. This is a small sum to supplement existing investments − financial or in-kind. These can be investments made by external funders or by a faculty or institute. Fill in the matched funding application form and send it to globalfund@bb.leidenuniv.nl.