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Grants for employees

The University Fund Limburg (UFL) annually supports research and education projects by UM staff, as well as the organisation of scientific events. The grant, named after the Committee for Scientific Expenditure (CoBes), aims to strengthen the relationship between Maastricht University and society and to promote socially oriented projects. 

Please note: From 2026 onwards, the conditions and requirements for submitting a grant application will change. For a complete overview of these changes, we recommend consulting this document. 

Grants for employees

How and when can you apply for a grant?

Early-career researchers who have recently obtained their PhD (no more than 10 years after completion) and who hold a position at Maastricht University are eligible to apply for funding. This grant (also referred to as CoBes) may be used to finance education and research projects, as well as to organise conferences, workshops or other events with a scientific purpose or societal relevance. 

At the bottom of the page, you can choose between the Application Project 2026 form and the Application Event 2026 form. Select the appropriate form, complete it, and submit it to apply for funding. 

Important!

Before submitting a grant application, it is essential to check whether your project or event is eligible for funding. Below you will find the conditions and requirements:

For scientific projects:
Download the overview of requirements, preferences and excluded projects.

For events:
Download the overview of requirements and preferences.

What do you need to know?

  • Grants are awarded as guarantee grants. This means that if the actual costs are lower than the amount awarded, only the actual costs will be reimbursed. 
  • For scientific projects, approximately €75,000 is available per funding round, with a maximum of €7,500 per application. 
  • For events, approximately €25,000 is available per funding round, with a maximum of €2,500 per event. 
  • Grant recipients must adhere to the principles of the Dutch Code of Conduct for Research Integrity.
  • UFL processes all applications according to a fixed procedure. Applications received within a funding round are assessed by the Committee for Scientific Expenditure on the basis of objective criteria and predefined conditions. The composition of this committee is as follows: 
    • Ms B. Janssen (UFL, Chair) 
    • Prof. Dr A. de Bruin (FHML) 
    • Mr B. Bulić (FSE) 
    • Prof. Dr H. van Lente (FASoS) 
    • Dr C. Marques dos Santos (SBE) 
    • Dr Mr R. Moerland (LAW) 
    • Dr A. Sagana (FPN) 
    • Ms M. Klingenstijn (UFL, Secretary) 

Deadlines for grant applications:

Staff members can submit a funding application for a project or event three times per year:

  • 1st round: 13 February 2026 (project/event may not start before 16 March 2026) 
  • 2nd round: 22 May 2026 (project/event may not start before 22 June 2026) 
  • 3rd round: 2 October 2026 (project/event may not start before 2 November 2026) 

Please note: applications submitted after the deadline or incomplete applications will not be considered. They may be resubmitted in a subsequent round. 

When will you be notified?

You will receive written notification of the outcome no later than one week after the meeting of the Committee for Scientific Expenditure. The meeting dates for 2026 are: 

  • 10 March
  • 16 June 
  • 27 October 

Apply for a CoBes grant

Important points to consider before you begin:

  • The application form is available in English only, and we kindly request that it be completed in English. 
  • All fields in the form are mandatory. Unfortunately, incomplete applications cannot be processed. 
  • The form contains a large number of questions for which you will need to have information about your project or event readily available, such as project objectives, budget, involved parties, and relevant attachments. To help you prepare, we provide a sample form for events and projects. We strongly recommend reviewing this sample in full first, so you know exactly which information you will need before completing the actual form.

After submitting your application, you will receive an email confirmation from us, including a reference number. If you have not received this confirmation, please contact us at info@ufl.nl.