UG Successful in ENLIGHT Calls 2025

The results of the 2025 Calls for ENLIGHT Thematic Networks (ETN), Incubator Grants (IG) for Future-proof Education and ENLIGHT+ initiatives have been announced.

Following a thorough selection procedure, which included assessment on quality, relevance, network and team composition, and expected impact, we are proud to announce that 21 of the total of 58 awarded projects, that is nine IG, eight ETN and four ENLIGHT+, feature participation from the University of Groningen.

Incubator Grants for Future-proof Education

The ENLIGHT Incubator Grants are designed to stimulate the design and upscaling of joint educational initiatives across all three study cycles (Ba, Ma, lifelong learning), in one (or more) of the six ENLIGHT focus areas. The selection process placed particular emphasis on the innovation and quality of the applications as well as alignment with the educational vision of ENLIGHT. To this end, a separate strand for these grants was created for the 2025 call to promote the creation of International Joint Programmes.

A total of 36 proposals were submitted by academics across the ten ENLIGHT partner universities, a significant increase over the previous round. The UG participated in 11 of these applications, out of which nine have been awarded. An overview of all selected projects involving UG is available here. A third call is planned in Spring 2026.

ENLIGHT Thematic Networks

The ENLIGHT Thematic Networks are designed to establish and strengthen interdisciplinary collaborations linking research, education, and outreach in the six ENLIGHT focus areas. The selection process placed particular emphasis on the ambition and added value of each network, including their capacity to address challenges in focus areas, promote institutional balance, and foster the emergence of new joint initiatives.

A total of 67 proposals were submitted by academics across the ten ENLIGHT partner universities for the ETN funding round. The UG participated in 41 of these applications, out of which eight have been awarded. An overview of all selected projects involving UG is available here.

ENLIGHT+

The ENLIGHT+ Call supports the development of new, emerging joint initiatives that are small-scale, inclusive, and/or sustainable, bringing together expertise from different disciplines. In the September 2025 Call, 10  applications were submitted, with the UG participating in four of them. We are pleased to share that all four projects have been awarded and will soon kick off their work with ENLIGHT partners.

With this success, the UG is looking forward to working with our ENLIGHT partners and seeing what new ideas and collaborations the next round of applications will bring.