Call for Proposals: EXPLORE#8, Support for International Mobility

[Call for Proposals] - Published on November 7, 2025 in Mobility

As part of the I-SITE Excellence Program (P.E.I.), the University of Montpellier (UM) is launching EXPLORE#8, the eighth edition of its call for proposals to support international mobility.

Note: The job titles mentioned in this call for proposals apply equally to both women and men.

FUNDED ACTIVITIES

1. Support for individual incoming or outgoing mobility opportunities for teachers, Professors, researchers, engineers, technicians, or administrative staff ( whether tenured or on contract at the time of the mobility) to explore new international projects;
2. Support for outbound group mobility programs for teachers, Professors, researchers, engineers, technicians, or administrative staff from various departments or institutions within the P.E.I. ( whether tenured or on contract at the time of the mobility) to explore new international projects;
3. NEW – Support for incoming and outgoing individual mobility of doctoral students for research stays aimed at strengthening or developing strategic collaborations.

OBJECTIVES

This call for proposals aims to foster international collaboration and support new initiatives. Projects must demonstrate clear added value for the P.E.I. and go beyond the international activities typically carried out by each institution as part of its regular operations.

With regard to staff mobility, priority will be given to projects aimed at creating or expanding student mobility programs or internationalized training programs, or at initiating the development of collaborative research projects that are likely to receive future funding (from the EU, funding agencies, etc.).

For doctoral student mobility, priority will be given to projects that can help acquire knowledge and expertise and strengthen or develop international collaboration between research units or institutions.

PREFERRED PARTNERS

Priority is given to the list of partners below; 75% of the resources are earmarked for this priority. Proposals not included in this list are therefore eligible, up to a limit of 25% of the resources.

*(1) Any university with a profile similar to that of UM, i.e., a research-oriented institution open to bilateral student exchanges and interested in the three pillars of “Feed-Heal-Protect.”

ALLOCATED MEANS

The budget allocated to the EXPLORE#8 program is €300,000.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

The candidates are invited to reduce their impact and to favor, when possible, less polluting modes of transportation. When applying online, candidates must enter the amount of CO2e potentially emitted during the round trip, using the Ademe calculation tool.

SCHEDULE

• Call for proposals opens: November 7, 2025
• Application deadline: January 16, 2026 (11:59 p.m. Paris time)
• Results will be announced via email: starting in late March 2026
• Mobility contracts: May¹, 2026, to December 31, 2027

EVALUATION

After an administrative review of the applications by UM’s Office of International Relations, the applications will be forwarded for evaluation to the EXPLORE#8 Evaluation Committee, chaired by UM’s Vice President for International Relations and composed of members of UM’s Academic Council (CAC), directors of UM’s research clusters, and representatives from COMIS member institutions.

The committee will evaluate the eligible applications and propose a ranking to be submitted to the UM Strategic Investment Committee (COMIS). COMIS’s decisions will be communicated via email starting in late March 2026 to both successful and unsuccessful applicants.

FIGURES 1 AND 2 – INCOMING AND OUTGOING MOBILITY FOR STAFF

1. Individual mobility

Create or expand student exchange programs or internationalized degree programs; initiate the development of collaborative research projects that are eligible for future funding (from the EU, funding agencies, etc.).

2. Outbound group travel

Develop or expand international collaborations (such as designing a training program, establishing an institutional partnership, or developing a strategic research project) for a group of two (or three) individuals from two (or three) different institutions within the P.E.I.

DETAILS OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The EXPLORE#8 call for proposals (components 1 and 2) provides funding for grants consisting of:

• NEW – A daily allowance, based on the destination country (Decree of July 3, 2006), capped at 7 daily allowances per beneficiary regardless of the total duration of the assignment;
• Coverage for public transportation expenses (reimbursed at actual cost)limited to one round trip per beneficiary. This coverage is capped based on the distance between the departure and arrival points, calculated using the tool developed by the European Commission :
  • From 0 to 999 km: €600 per recipient
  • From 1,000 to 7,999 km: €1,300 per beneficiary
  • Over 8,000 km: €2,000 per beneficiary

Intended to cover additional costs related to mobility, these grants may under no circumstances be used to fund payroll expenses. Do not apply for the EXPLORE#8 Call for Proposals if funding for the same topic is already available through the P.E.I.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Funding for mobility for the sole purpose of attending a symposium or conference is excluded from the EXPLORE call for projects. In addition to the criteria of consistency (scientific vision: "Feed - Care - Protect" and all disciplines that can contribute to it) and quality of the project, the following selection criteria will be taken into account:

• Potential for submitting proposals in the field of education (student mobility; internationalized programs; ERASMUS+ projects; etc.) as well as in the field of research (European research projects; development aid projects; etc.)
• Commitment of the host and sending organizations to the exchange, particularly in terms of the human and financial resources allocated as needed;
• Collaborative effects generated within the P.E.I. through group mobility initiatives that necessarily involve multiple P.E.I. training and/or research institutions.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications must be submitted by January 16, 2026 (11:59 p.m. Paris time) using the form below.

You will need to provide: a brief description of the project, a letter of support endorsed by the director of your home educational and/or research institution, or by your supervisor for administrative staff, and a letter of invitation from the director of the host educational and/or research institution. For group mobility programs, the application is submitted only once, by the project leader.

FIGURE 3 – INDIVIDUAL MOBILITY FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS

ELIGIBLE AUDIENCE

EXPLORE#8 is open to doctoral students for incoming or outgoing individual mobility in the form of a research stay lasting at least two weeks. Students must be enrolled in a doctoral program at the time of their mobility.

DETAILS OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT

NEW: The EXPLORE#8 call for proposals provides a contribution toward travel and living expenses of up to €3,500 per doctoral student, which is supplemented by funds from the sending and/or host institutions.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The following selection criteria will be taken into account:

• Learning content: acquisition of scientific techniques, conducting experiments, etc.. ;
• Resulting collaborative effect : the development of collaborations between researchers at foreign laboratories and researchers at P.E.I. laboratories through the doctoral student’s mobility;
• Involvement of the sending and receiving organizations in the exchange, particularly in terms of the resources allocated.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications must be submitted by January 16, 2026 (11:59 p.m. Paris time) using the following form: https://forms.office.com/e/Fb649d7L3a

You will need to submit: a brief description of the research project, including a simple estimated budget (using the designated form); a letter of support with the approval of the director of your home academic and/or research institution; a letter of invitation from the director of the host academic and/or research institution; and a detailed budget specifying co-funding sources.

Keywords: call for proposals, I-SITE, I-SITE Excellence Program