UHasselt Energy in Transition Research Catalyst Programme (Deadline: 1 December 2026)

Research

What?

The UHasselt Energy in Transition Research Catalyst Programme provides seed funding for small-scale collaborative research projects within the EURECA-PRO alliance. The programme contributes to the mission of the Energy in Transition Flagship, which aims to accelerate Europe's transition to sustainable, low-carbon energy systems by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in research, education, and innovation. Bringing together expertise from technical, social, legal, economic, and design disciplines, the Flagship promotes the development of innovative, circular, inclusive, and resilient energy solutions that address key societal challenges and support EU climate and sustainability objectives. For more information about the Energy in Transition Flagship and its strategic objectives, please visit the webpage: EURECA-PRO Flagships: The Communities Shaping the Strategic Challenges of the European Alliance. 

The programme aims to initiate or strengthen international research collaborations between UHasselt and EURECA-PRO partner universities, with the potential to lead to joint publications, future research projects and competitive funding applications.

Projects must:

• contribute to the objectives of the EURECA-PRO Flagship Energy in Transition;
• involve researchers from UHasselt and at least one other EURECA-PRO partner university;
• demonstrate clear added value of the international collaboration.

Available funding

• Total programme budget: €100,000
• Maximum funding per project: €15,000
• Maximum project duration: 24 months
• First call: €40,000, launched on 1 October 2026
• Second call: €60,000, launched on 1 April 2027

The two calls will be assessed separately. The available budget indicated for each call will be allocated to projects selected through that respective call. Any funding not awarded in the first call will be transferred to the second call. 

Applicants may submit an application to both calls. Applicants who have already received funding through the first call are also eligible to apply for the second call. However, in the second call, priority will be given to applicants who have not received funding through the first call, to provide opportunities to a broader range of researchers within the EURECA-PRO Alliance.

Projects may have a maximum duration of 24 months. The project period will be specified in the award decision. All awarded funding must be committed and spent within the approved project period.
UHasselt reserves the right to award funding below the requested amount, depending on the available budget.

Who?

To be eligible, proposals must meet the following criteria:

• The application must be submitted by an UHasselt Principal Investigator (PI), who acts as the project budget holder in accordance with UHasselt regulations.
• Each PI may submit only one proposal.
• The consortium must include UHasselt and at least one other EURECA-PRO partner university.
• All applicants must hold a doctoral degree, and all partners must make a meaningful contribution to the project.
• Doctoral researchers may participate in projects but cannot act as PI. 
• Activities funded through this programme may not receive funding from another source for the same purpose (double funding is not permitted).

Application?

Applications are submitted using the official application form and must include:

• project description;
• objectives and expected outcomes;
• description of the collaboration between the participating EURECA-PRO partners;
• project budget and justification;
• project timeline.

Deadlines

• First call: 1 December 2026 (23:59)
• Second call: 1 June 2027 (23:59)

The completed application form, together with any required supporting documents, must be submitted electronically to eurecapro.research@uhasselt.be no later than 1 December 2026 (23:59) for the first call or 1 June 2027 (23:59) for the second call. Incomplete applications or applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

Applicants may submit a proposal to one or both calls. Applicants funded in the first call may also apply for the second call; priority in the second call will be given to applicants who have not received funding in the first call. 

Regulations?

Eligible costs

Funding may be used for reasonable and necessary costs directly related to the implementation of the proposed activities, including:

• research-related consumables and materials;
• access to research facilities, datasets or specialised services;
• purchase of small equipment (max € 5,000 per item); purchased equipment will remain the property of UHasselt;
• organisation of workshops, meetings and collaborative research activities;
• publication, dissemination and science communication costs;
• other project-related expenses that are adequately justified and contribute to the objectives of the programme.

The following costs are not eligible:

• travel and accommodation costs (these should be requested through the EURECA-PRO Outgoing Mobility Programme); 
• personnel costs or salary replacement;
• overhead or indirect costs;
• costs already covered by other funding sources (double funding).

All costs must comply with the UHasselt financial regulations and procurement procedures.

Priority use of EURECA-PRO Flagship Funding

Activities and costs that are eligible for funding under the EURECA-PRO Flagship Funding programme (i.e., the organisation of workshops, networking events and other collaborative educational activities) should be financed through that programme in the first instance. As the Flagship Funding must be fully committed within its designated funding period, with all allocated funding to be spent by 31 October 2027, applicants are expected to make use of this funding source before requesting support for the same activities under the UHasselt Energy in Transition Research Catalyst Programme. Consequently, such costs will only be considered under this call where they are not eligible for, or cannot be covered by, the EURECA-PRO Flagship Funding programme. A comparative overview of the available funding mechanisms and the activities eligible for funding under each programme can be found here (pdf, 113 KB).

Selection and evaluation

Applications submitted under each call will be evaluated separately. The evaluation criteria and composition of the Evaluation Committee will be the same for both calls.

Applications will be evaluated by an Evaluation Committee composed of the Bureau of the Research Council and the UHasselt Flagship Leads for Energy in Transition.

The evaluation will be based on the following criteria:

• Scientific quality: novelty, feasibility, methodology
• EURECA-PRO relevance: alignment with Energy in Transition flagship objectives 
• Collaboration: added value of the partnership
• Sustainability: future collaborations, proposals, publications
• Budget: appropriateness and justification

Members of the Evaluation Committee with a conflict of interest will not participate in the evaluation of the relevant proposal. Applications will be evaluated solely on the basis of the written proposal.

Expected outcomes: Funded projects are expected, where appropriate, to generate tangible scientific outcomes, such as a joint publication in an internationally indexed journal, a joint research proposal, or another demonstrable research output resulting from the collaboration. 

Acknowledgement and reporting

Recipients are required to acknowledge the support of the UHasselt Energy in Transition Research Catalyst Programme in publications, presentations and other dissemination activities resulting from the funded project.

Where appropriate, the following acknowledgement should be used: This work was supported by the UHasselt Energy in Transition Research Catalyst Programme, within the EURECA-PRO Flagship Energy in Transition.

Upon completion of the project, recipients are requested to submit a brief final report (maximum two pages) summarising the activities undertaken, the main results achieved and any follow-up collaborations, publications or funding initiatives arising from the project.

Recipients are encouraged to share project outcomes through relevant EURECA-PRO communication channels and activities, where appropriate. Successful applicants will receive an award letter specifying the approved budget, project duration and reporting requirements.

More information?

Questions regarding this call may be directed to Hanne Surkyn at eurecapro.research@uhasselt.be. 

Deadline

01.12.2026

Contact Hasselt University?

E-mail hanne.surkyn@uhasselt.be

Tel. +3211268218