Opportunity Title : British Council Springboard Research Grants with France, Germany & Spain 2026 (Up to £10,000)

Successful applicants will receive financial and professional support to strengthen international research collaboration. Benefits include:

• Funding of up to £10,000 to support collaborative research activities.
• A mandatory Springboard team meeting where researchers from the UK and the partner country meet to establish or strengthen their collaboration, exchange research ideas, and develop plans for future joint projects.
• Optional online communication skills training tailored for participating early-career researchers to improve international collaboration and research communication.
• Optional one-week research placements in the partner institution's laboratory for up to two PhD students from each participating country, providing valuable international research experience.
• Opportunities to prepare competitive joint applications for Horizon Europe and other international funding programmes.
• Increased chances of producing joint research publications and building long-term institutional partnerships.

Interested applicants should carefully review the programme guidelines before preparing their proposal.

To apply:

1. Develop a joint research proposal with your partner institution.
2. Ensure your project satisfies all eligibility requirements.
3. Prepare all required documentation collaboratively.
4. The UK Lead Institution must submit the completed application on behalf of the partnership through the official application portal before the application deadline.

Applicants are encouraged to begin discussions with their international partners early to allow sufficient time to prepare a strong and competitive proposal. Successful proposals should clearly demonstrate how the partnership will promote research excellence, support early-career researchers, and create opportunities for future international collaboration.

Apply for the British Council Springboard Research Grants 2026 and receive up to £10,000 to support UK-France, Germany, and Spain research partnerships.

The British Council Springboard Research Grants are open to:

• Higher education institutions.
• Not-for-profit research institutions.

To be eligible, every proposal must meet the following requirements:

• The partnership must include one lead institution based in the United Kingdom.
• It must also include one lead institution from either France, Germany, or Spain.
• The proposal must be jointly developed by project leaders from all participating institutions.
• The final application must be submitted by the UK Lead Institution on behalf of the entire partnership.
• Each project may include up to ten participants.
• At least six participants must be early-career researchers, defined as researchers who obtained their PhD within the last ten years.

Applicants are encouraged to assemble diverse research teams capable of building sustainable international collaborations that extend beyond the duration of the grant.