EXPLORE#8 Call for Proposals: Support for International Mobility

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

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

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

FUNDED ACTIVITIES

1. Support for individual incoming or outgoing mobility opportunities for faculty members, 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 initiatives involving teachers, Professors, researchers, engineers, technicians, or administrative staff from various components or institutions of the P.E.I. ( permanent or contract employees at the time of the mobility) to explore new international projects;
3. NEW – Support for individual incoming and outgoing mobility of doctoral students for research stays aimed at strengthening or developing strategic collaborations.

OBJECTIVES

This call for proposals aims to promote international collaboration and contribute to 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.

For 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 Europe, 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 percent of the resources are earmarked for this priority. Proposals not included on this list are therefore eligible, up to a maximum of 25 percent of the resources.

*(1) Any university with a profile similar to that of theUM, that is, a research-oriented institution open to bilateral student exchanges and interested in the three pillars of “Feed, Care, and 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.

CALENDAR

• Launch of the call for proposals: November 7, 2025
• Application deadline: January 16, 2026 (11:59 p.m., Paris time)
• Notification of results by email: starting in late March 2026
• Mobility Assignments: May¹, 2026, through December 31, 2027

EVALUATION

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

The committee will evaluate the eligible applications and propose a ranking to be submitted to the Strategic Investment Committee of theUM (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 European Union, funding agencies, etc.).

2. Outbound Group Travel

Develop or expand international collaborations (organizing a training program, establishing an institutional partnership, developing a foundational research project, etc.) for a group of 2 (or 3) individuals from 2 (or 3) different P.E.I. institutions.

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 costs, based on actual expensesup 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 beneficiary
  • From 1,000 to 7,999 km: 1,300 € per beneficiary
  • More than 8,000 km: €2,000 per beneficiary

Intended to cover additional mobility-related expenses, these grants may not under any circumstances be used to fund payroll costs. 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 appropriate;
• Collaborative effects fostered within the P.E.I. through group mobility initiatives that necessarily involve multiple P.E.I. training and/or research institutions.

APPLICATION PROCESS

You must submit your application 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 with approval from the director of your home educational and/or research institution—or from your supervisor, if you are 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 OPPORTUNITIES FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS

ELIGIBLE AUDIENCE

EXPLORE#8 is open to doctoral students for individual incoming or outgoing exchanges in the form of a research stay lasting at least 2 weeks. Students must be enrolled in a doctoral program at the time of their exchange.

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 hosting 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 mobilized.

APPLICATION PROCESS

You must submit your application 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 projected budget (using the designated form); a letter of support with the approval of the director of your home educational and/or research institution; a letter of invitation from the director of the host educational and/or research institution; and a detailed budget specifying co-funding sources.

Keywords: Call for Proposals, I-SITE, I-SITE Program of Excellence