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Grants for employees

The University Fund Limburg (UFL) provides annual support for research and education projects carried out by Maastricht University staff, as well as for the organisation of academic events. The grant, named after the Grants Committee Scientific Projects (CoBes), is intended to strengthen the relationship between Maastricht University and society, and to promote socially engaged initiatives.

Grants for employees

How and when can you apply for a grant?

All (scientific) staff members of Maastricht University can apply for a grant. This grant (also known as CoBes) can be applied for to finance educational and research projects, as well as for organising conferences, workshops or other events that have a scientific purpose or social relevance.

At the bottom of the page you can choose between the Application Project and Application Event forms. Choose the correct form, fill it in and send it to apply for a grant.

Important!

Before submitting a grant application, it is important to check whether your project 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 subsidies. This means that if the actual costs are lower than the promised contribution, only the actual costs will be paid out.
  • For scientific projects, approximately €60,000 is available per round, with a maximum of €7,500 per application.
  • For events, approximately €25,000 is available per round, with a maximum of €2,500 per event.
  • Beneficiaries must adhere to the principles of the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity.
  • UFL processes all applications according to a fixed procedure. Applications submitted within a funding round are assessed by the Grants Committee Scientific Projects (Commissie Wetenschappelijke Bestedingen abbreviated CoBes), based on objective criteria and predefined conditions. The composition of this committee is as follows:
    • Ms. B. Janssen (UFL, chair)
    • Ms. Prof. Dr. A. de Bruin (FHML)
    • Mr. B. Bulić (FSE)
    • Ms. Prof. Dr. H. van Lente (FASoS)
    • Ms. Dr. C. Marques dos Santos (SBE)
    • Mr. Dr. mr. R. Moerland (LAW)
    • Ms. 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: 14 February 2025 (project/event may not start before 17 March 2025)
2nd round: 23 May 2025 (project/event may not start before 23 June 2025)
3rd round: 3 October 2025 (project/event may not start before 3 November 2025)

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

When will you be notified?

You will receive written notification within a week after the meeting of the Grants Committee Scientific Projects. The meeting dates for 2025 are:

  • 11 March
  • 17 June
  • 30 October

Apply for a CoBes grant

Important points to consider before you begin:

  • The application form is only available in English, and we kindly ask that it be completed in English as well.
  • All fields in the form are mandatory. Unfortunately, incomplete applications cannot be processed.
  • The form contains a significant number of questions for which you will need detailed information about your project or event. This includes: project objectives, budget, involved parties, and relevant attachments. We therefore strongly recommend that you first click through the entire form to familiarise yourself with the questions and required documents before starting your application.

Once your application has been submitted, you will receive a confirmation email from us with a reference number.