Merger Subsidy

Previously, CUOS offered the Formation Grant International Organization (OIS), intended to encourage international students to organise themselves into new associations. Partly as a result of this, the number of student organisations in Groningen has increased significantly in recent years.

In practice, however, many organisations are finding it difficult to recruit new board members to continue their day-to-day activities. Establishing even more associations is likely to exacerbate this problem.

Larger organisations appear to operate more efficiently: they have relatively fewer administrative burdens, which creates more space for social and substantive activities.

For these reasons, the OIS has been converted to the Merger Subsidy with effect from the 2025–2026 academic year. This subsidy focuses on supporting collaborations between existing student organisations by partially reimbursing the costs associated with a merger.

An application for this grant can be submitted throughout the year. Please keep in mind that the Board of CUOS is less available during the months of July and August, so if possible, send in your application before that.

If you have any further questions about the merger subsidy, please send an email to cuos.communicatie@rug.nl.