MERCUR Project Funding 2026: Submission of Project Outlines Now Open

The response from the universities in the 2025 funding round was overwhelming: a total of 65 outlines for inter-university projects were submitted to MERCUR in the most recent call. Eight of these projects will now receive funding and are set to begin in March 2026. The selected topics range from the use of Bayesian statistics in biomedicine and the impact of climate change on groundwater resources to feminist zines and global DIY cultures. The rectors of the three UA Ruhr universities expressed their appreciation for the strong interest and are looking forward to the upcoming funding round.

About the MERCUR Project Funding Program

Objective: The program aims to increase the number of sustainable research collaborations and networks between the universities of the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr). Funded projects are expected to lead to applications for additional third-party funding from research funding organizations such as the German Research Foundation (DFG) (seed funding). To this end, the “Project Funding” scheme supports the development of joint preliminary work as a key prerequisite for successfully acquiring collaborative research grants.

Through this program, MERCUR supports high-quality research projects carried out by researchers from at least two UA Ruhr universities. Projects may be either disciplinary or interdisciplinary in nature.

Funding of up to €300,000 per project (total project volume) can be requested for a period of up to two years. Within the “Project Funding (ECR)” line, Early Career Researchers and newly appointed professors may apply for up to €100,000 per project for smaller-scale collaborative projects. Eligible applicants are postdoctoral researchers affiliated with UA Ruhr.

Further information on the application and selection procedure as well as all required documents can be found here: https://www.uaruhr.de/en/research/research-support/mercur-project-funding/