EU-CONEXUS ambition
The European University for Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability (EU‐CONEXUS) is a transnational European higher education and research alliance addressing global and local challenges by tackling coastal environmental, technical, economic and societal needs (SmUCS challenges). EU-CONEXUS is a fully-fledged university. It offers education, training, study programmes, performs research and links with socio-economic actors for supporting innovation. To find more information, please visit the EU-CONEXUS Website. The EU-CONEXUS community brings together researchers, teachers and students from the different partner institutions and aims to foster internal collaboration between them by offering Seed Funding.
Objectives of the seed funding
The Seed Funding aims to strengthen collaboration among EU-CONEXUS partners in education, research, and innovation on SmES challenges. It supports small-scale collaborative projects focused on Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability (SmUCS), with funding available for research and academic teams from partner universities. Projects can focus on activities across education, research and innovation.
Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability (SmUCS) means for EU-CONEXUS to focus its education, research & innovation, and knowledge-sharing activities on defining, understanding and addressing societal challenges that are experienced by communities from urban and semi-urbanised coastal regions (rivers, seas and oceans).
Expected outcomes of the projects must be tangible: possibility to work together on a bigger project, joint research, joint presentation in a conference, preparation of a joint publication, joint study programme, enhanced education related activities addressing the societal challenges, etc.
Watch the webinar to learn more about the Seed Funding 2025
Join us for the Seed Funding Webinar 2025, where we will explore opportunities for innovative projects through EU-CONEXUS’s Seed Funding program. This session will provide valuable insights into how teams and researchers can apply for financial support to develop and implement innovative solutions across various sectors. Learn about the application process, funding criteria, and how this initiative can help bring your project ideas to life. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and kick-start your project in 2025!
Eligibility criteria
Eligible beneficiaries are the nine EU-CONEXUS partner universities. Other organisations can participate but do not receive any funding.
A seed funding project proposal must be submitted.
The project proposal subject must address one or several challenges in the field of Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability (SmUCS).
At least 2 researchers or academics from 2 different EU-CONEXUS partner universities must be involved in the project (other organisations cannot be part of this core group).
Groups of researchers, academics, project holders who already received support from Seed Funding (first call or second call) will not be eligible a third time, with the same partnership.
The same project idea won’t be financed through Seed Funding twice.
Duration of the Seed funding project: up to maximum 12 months.
Evaluation criteria
The proposal will be assessed with regards to 3 main criteria:
EXCELLENCE
Relevance of the project with regards to the societal challenge of Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability, Education, research or innovation contribution of the proposed project, Appropriateness,
completeness and clarity of the methodology.
IMPACT
Impact of proposed activities and results, in particular for EU-CONEXUS, Expected outcomes
QUALITY & EFFICIENCY OF IMPLEMENTATION
Work plan, Organisation, Budget coherence with regards to project ambition, Deliverables.
Proposals involving more, rather than less, EU-CONEXUS partner universities will be prioritized.
Funding criteria
- Eligible costs are: conference fees, publication fees, travels, etc. (personnel costs, equipment and consumables or services related to research are not eligible). A detailed budget must be provided.
- The funding is maximum €4400 (VAT included) per project.
- Co-funding is allowed and encouraged whether it comes from the partners’own funds or from public or private funds.
- The expenses related to each project are paid for directly out of the central EU-CONEXUS budget.
- There is funding available for approximately 20 small-scale projects in total distributed within 4 calls (around 5 projects supported per call).
Maximum funding 4400€
Selection rules
A two-step-evaluation will take place:
In a first step the Project Development Support Office will assess the conformity of the application to this call and its technical eligibility.
In a second step, the applications will be evaluated by a rotating committee composed of 3 representatives from 3 partner universities (evaluators are designated by the members of EU-CONEXUS Plus Work Package 10, in charge of setting up the Project Development Support Office). After the first cut-off date, the committee members will come from la Rochelle Université, South East Technological University and University of Zadar. After the second cut-off date, the committee members will come from Frederick University, La Rochelle Université and University of Rostock. In addition, for both cut-off dates, the vice-chairs of Academic and Research Councils will participate in the evaluation
A ranking of the projects will be provided by the committee and approximately 5 proposals will be selected for funding based on the ranking.
Applicants will be notified one month after the cut-off date at the latest.
The projects selected will be presented to the Research or Academic Councils depending on the field covered by the projects.
Application
The project leader has to send the completed application form (Annex 1) to the following email address: projects@eu-conexus.eu
This call is open continuously for the year 2025 with two cut-off dates:
- April 25th COB, 2025
- August 29th COB, 2025.
NB: Projects not selected for funding after the first cut-off date won’t be automatically part of the second round (for the second cut-off date). These projects should be re-submitted to be evaluated again after the second cut-off date
The Project Development Support Office
The PDSO is in charge of managing the Seed Funding. For any question you can contact the team of project officers at the following address: projects@eu-conexus.eu.
The Project Development Support Office missions are to:
- Manage the Seed Funding
- Work in order to increase mobilisation of EU-CONEXUS community in developing common projects either internally or in response to external calls for proposals It offers training, information sessions to the community and facilitates collaboration of project development support structures through knowledge and expertise sharing.
Seed funding 2nd call (2025)
| Seed Funding Project Name | Email of lead applicant | About |
|---|---|---|
| ODIM: Oral delivery of biological active molecules by microparticles in molluscs UCV AUA UNIZD | Name of the Researcher/Academic: – Pablo José Sanchis Benlloch. Partner University: – Catholic University of Valencia (Spain) Research Unit / Department: – IMEDMAR-UCV | Mollusk aquaculture is a vital component of the EU’s urban coastal economy, offering a sustainable source of protein with a significantly lower carbon footprint. Promoting sustainable aquaculture is a key priority of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy and an integral part of the Blue Economy strategy. Additionally, aquaculture plays a critical role in conserving biodiversity by supporting the breeding of aquatic species at risk of extinction. The ODIM project (Oral Delivery of Biologically Active Molecules by Microparticles in Mollusks) focuses on developing innovative methods to optimize the delivery of biologically active molecules to enhance mollusk aquaculture. These advancements could help improve reproduction control, induce spawning, or manage disease. Core activities include synthesizing microparticles loaded with bioactive compounds and biomarkers, testing their effectiveness in scallops, and reducing the need for invasive techniques in administering these compounds. This initiative directly supports SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) by promoting sustainable aquaculture practices and SDG 14 (Life Below Water) by contributing to the conservation and sustainable management of marine biodiversity. |
| CEBSF: Cell extracts of BSF for the synthesis in vitro of proteins of biotechnological interest UCV SETU | Name of the Researcher/Academic: – Isaias Salvador Sanmartin Santos Partner University: – Catholic University of Valencia Research Unit / Department: – Faculty of Veterinary and Experimental Sciences | Mass tourism generates a large amount of polluting organic waste in small coastal towns, which has multiple negative effects on the local environment and on the quality of life of the residents. These towns often do not have adequate infrastructure to cope with the enormous amount of waste generated by tourism. This situation causes waste to accumulate on beaches and areas near the water, causing serious contamination of the landscape and negatively affecting the natural beauty and recreational experience for both visitors and local residents. The larvae of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), a member of the Stratiomyidae family, are known for their ability to decompose a wide variety of organic matter, including food waste. The project aims to promote the use of technology based on the black soldier fly to transform organic waste, such as food waste generated by coastal tourism, on an industrial scale. In particular, it proposes to develop an innovative application of high economic value: the use of cell extracts obtained from black soldier fly pupae for the large-scale synthesis of proteins of interest in biotechnology. The main activities include obtaining cell extracts from pupae or larvae, the in vitro synthesis of proteins using these extracts, and the development of scalable biotechnological applications to promote their industrial implementation. This project addresses SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) by tackling organic waste challenges and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) through circular economy practices. |
| TMAO- Brain and Behavior Study UCV LRU | Name of the Researcher/Academic: – Ana Perez-Villalba Partner University: – UCV (Catholic University of Valencia) Research Unit / Department: – Laboratory of Animal Behavior Phenotype (LABP). Department of Psychobiology. | Daily and abundant intake of animal source food (ASF) leads us to overexploitation of livestock and fish farming beside negative consequences on our health and well-being. Our proposal is framed inside the SmUCS challenges and tackles the enormous environmental and social effect of diets that promote abusive profiteering of natural resources. The project Examines the effects of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a byproduct of high animal-source food diets, on brain inflammation and social behaviors in mice. Activities include dietary trials, behavioral tests, and advanced video analysis using deep learning to assess social and neurological impacts. This project supports SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by promoting dietary awareness and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) by encouraging sustainable eating practices. |
Winning Projects – Seed funding 1st call (April 2024)
| Seed Funding Project Name | Application Project Description |
|---|---|
| Active Travel Collaboration for Sustainable Campuses (ACT4SusCamp). SETU, UTCB | Low levels of active travel (walking and cycling) to SETU and UTCB underscore the need for a shift from car-dependent commuting to more sustainable modes of transportation. This transition is vital for meeting climate action targets and promoting physical activity. Currently, the majority of students rely on private cars, posing environmental challenges. This project aims first to gather data on students’ travel patterns and barriers to walking and cycling to SETU, and then to facilitate engagement between students in the two universities, and between students and their local authority engineers/planners to discuss this and plan appropriate actions. This will allow the student voice to be heard regarding transport needs and barriers, give students and opportunity to interact with those form another EU-Conexus university, and provide a model for how consultation regarding active travel behaviour can be carried out in future. |
| Implementation of cold ironing in a competitive electricity market (EMiRON). FREDU, UTCB | The project aims to assess various scenarios for implementing cold ironing at the port of Limassol, focusing on an efficient electricity market model. Cyprus, with its abundant renewable energy potential, faces challenges in sustaining its isolated power system. The reliance on conventional generation for stability poses environmental concerns. Electrifying the port using renewable energy sources (RES) promises cleaner air and aligns with EU directives. The project aims to propose an electricity market model for cold ironing, considering Cyprus’ evolving energy market. Scenarios include contracts with suppliers, autonomous RES systems, or participation in the competitive electricity market. Key tasks include determining energy needs, assessing infrastructure, and engaging stakeholders for information exchange. |
| Developing a Liquids Analysis Technique by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for Applications of Environmental Monitoring & Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability. SETU, AUA, University Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) | In recent years, global environmental pollution has become a significantly more challenging, emphasising the critical need for efficient environmental monitoring. Regular assessment of heavy metal concentrations, including copper, zinc, iron, and manganese, is vital in aquaculture, particularly for polluted water sources. Continuous monitoring and prompt corrective actions are key to successful water quality management. Leveraging automated sensor systems and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) offers rapid, real-time detection of multiple elements, making it invaluable for environmental analysis. This project aims to enhance LIBS technology for water analysis, addressing environmental pollution concerns in Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability. |
| Coffee Grounds used for Land Treatment, Insulation, and Versatile Agricultural Enhancement (CULTIV8): UTCB, AUA, UROS | The CULTIV8 project represents an interdisciplinary approach, merging resource sustainability, waste reduction, and material recycling. It focuses on two core objectives: developing eco-friendly insulation from spent coffee grounds for buildings and reusing wastewater from grounds treatment as nutrient solution for plants. The study aims to establish protocols for washing grounds, identifying suitable crops, optimizing drying methods, and assessing insulation properties. By redefining construction practices and promoting resource conservation in a circular economy framework, CULTIV8 aims to make significant contribution in environmental preservation and agricultural advancement. |
View previous webinars
*The Project Development Support Office is in charge of managing the Seed Funding. For any question you can contact the team of project officers at the following address: projects@eu-conexus.eu
This activity is organised under the EU-funded Project EU-CONEXUS Plus (Project number 101089709) titled : “A significant step forward for the European University for Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability” .
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
