Call for Projects: “ UM Abroad” – 2026 Campaign – First Round
ExposUM is an initiative of the University of Montpellier and its partners[1] aimed at establishing an off-campus, interdisciplinary institute for the study, training, and science-society interaction regarding the environmental determinants of human health. As a recipient of the ExcellenceS (PIA4) call for proposals and supported by the Occitanie Region, ExposUM is receiving €46.4 million in funding for the period 2022–2030.
Scientific Scope
The exposome refers to the set of environmental and social factors whose individual effects, combined with individuals’ intrinsic characteristics, underlie the onset, progression, and severity of infectious and noncommunicable diseases in humans. In this sense, it is the environmental counterpart to the genome, with which it interacts throughout an individual’s lifetime.
Objectives
The objectives of the ExposUM Institute’s Training Division are to:
- break down barriers in education by promoting interdisciplinarity;
- contribute to the improvement of skills;
- strengthen ties with countries in the Global South.
As part of this effort, several initiatives are being implemented, including promoting the educational programs of the ExposUM community abroad.
In line with the goals of an open university and close cooperation with low- and middle-income countries, as well as the individual initiatives of many researchers during their stays abroad, emphasis will be placed on outbound mobility for faculty and researchers so they can participate in training programs at universities in numerous partner locations.
The objective of the “ UM Abroad” call for proposals is to fund short training modules that will be delivered at partner sites abroad.
These modules should last between one and two weeks at most, with topics and teaching methods (hands-on training, field applications) tailored to the local context. The language of instruction will also be tailored to the local context.
Organizers must commit to offering free registration for learners; this will be an eligibility requirement.
For example, the initiatives supported may include:
- inviting teachers from “ UM ” and its international partners (travel and accommodation);
- organizing visits to scientific or technical sites;
- the purchase of educational materials;
- the rental of classroom space;
- the design of digital educational tools for online learning.
Upon completion of the module, participants who have completed it will receive a certificate of participation from the ExposUM Institute. If the course is offered again (see “Duration and Renewal”), and provided they submit an application package including the institutional diploma application form—which has been verified by the Office of Academic Affairs and Student Life and approved by the University’s governing bodies—students may be awarded a micro-certification diploma.
Financing Terms
Each project leader whose project is selected will receive funding of up to 20,000 euros.
Framing
Eligible Expenses
This budget allocation may cover, in particular:
- Operating expenses:
- travel expenses;
- pay for temporary assignments (excluding personnel expenses);
- services (including catering, travel, rental of classrooms, audiovisual services, etc.).
- Capital expenditures, that is, small items of equipment or teaching materials for recurring activities (excluding equipment costing more than €3,000).
Term and Renewal
The selected project will receive funding for a period of 12 months.
Subject to a positive evaluation at the end of the first year, funding could be renewed annually, through January 31, 2030 (the deadline for full completion of the initiatives).
Calendar
- AAP Publication UM s Abroad, Round 1: July 17, 2026
- Deadline for applications: September 27, 2026
- Announcement of results: Late October 2026
- Project launch: Starting in the first quarter of 2027, beginning in March 2027
- Funds will be made available in March 2027 (due to the transition to SIFAC+)
Eligibility Criteria
About the Project Leader
The project leader must be affiliated with a UR, UMR, or UMI that is part of the ExposUM Institute consortium (as a tenured or contract faculty member or research Professor , or as a holder of a contract covering the funding period). The employment contract must cover the duration of the project.
Stocks
The proposed actions must:
- align with the objectives of the Institute’s Training Division;
- help build the skills of local learners;
- offer a language of instruction suited to the local context;
- ensure that registration remains free for learners;
- promote, where appropriate, interdisciplinary collaboration and interactions with the exposomics community at the University and among its partners.
Submission Guidelines
The proposal must be written in French or English based on the simplified application form (available for download below), following the instructions provided therein.
The academic advisor should send the application materials via email to by mentioning [AAP UM s Abroad 2026] in the email subject line.
Selection Process
Proposals will be evaluated based on the quality of the project, as well as its alignment with the Institute’s priorities and themes. This evaluation will be conducted by the ExposUM Institute’s Education Evaluation Committee (COEF).
Selection Criteria (for informational purposes only)
- a clear definition of the field of environmental health;
- interdisciplinarity;
- adaptation to the local context;
- skill development;
- feasibility;
- relevance in light of the objectives of the Training Division of the ExposUM Institute.
Contact
For any information regarding this call for expressions of interest, please send an email to by mentioning [AAP UM s Abroad 2026] in the email subject line.
Commitments
The award recipients agree to:
- In the design and implementation of the project submitted in response to this call for expressions of interest, comply with the values and principles of scientific integrity intended to ensure the honesty and scientific rigor of all research work, as referred to in Article L.211-2 of the Research Code and set forth in the National Code of Ethics for Research Professions and the University of Montpellier’s Charter on Scientific Integrity.
- Comply with the Nagoya Protocol, if applicable.
- Include the logos of the University of Montpellier, France 2030, the ExposUM Institute, and the Occitanie Region in all documents related to the project’s implementation. Specific instructions regarding communication requirements will be provided.
- Please send to the Institute (), an annual report that may be used in the University’s communications materials in accordance with a provided template. A project guide detailing management procedures and reporting requirements will be provided.
- Apply the currentUM publication guidelines to all scientific outputs; comply with provisions related to open science and the Law for a Digital Republic (open access publication). The heads of laboratories under the supervision of UM shall deposit the full text of publications in the open archive (https://hal.umontpellier.fr).
- Take the necessary steps to obtain the required research authorizations and approvals in regulated sectors (genetically modified organisms, the use of animals for scientific purposes, health data, the use of genetic resources and the resulting benefit-sharing, bioethics, etc.).
Research organizations that are part of the ExposUM Institute consortium
ABSys, AGAP Institute, AIDA, AMAP, Analyses, ART-Dev, ASTRE, BC2M, BCM, BIOLuM, BioWooEB, CBGP, CBS, CDE, CEE-M, CEFE, CEMIPAI, CEPEL, CERCOP, ChimEco, CRBM, CREAM, CSUM, DEFE, DGIMI, DIADE, DIASCOPE, DMEM, ECO&SOLS, ECOTRON, EDPFM, EDSM, ESPACE-DEV, EuroMov DHM, F&S, G-EAU, GECO, Génopolys, GM, HortSys, HSM, IATE, IBMM, ICGM, ICS, ICSM, IDEDH, IDESP, IEM, IES, IGF, IGH, IGMM, IHD, IHPE, IMAG, IMAGINE, INM, INNOVATION, INTERTRYP, IPSiM, IRCM, IRIM, IRMB, ISDM, ISEM, ITAP, L2C, LBE, LBN, LDP, LEPSE, LICeM, LIRDEF, LIRMM, LISAH, LMGC, LPHI, LUPM, Maraîchage, MARBEC, MEEB, MISTEA, MIVEGEC, MMDN, MOISA, MRE, MRM, MSH Sud, OREME, PAC Chimie Balard, PCCEI, Pech Rouge, PHIM, PhyMedExp, QualiSud, R&R, SantESiH, SELMET, SENS, SPO, Sys2diag, TETIS, TransVIHMI, VASSAL, VBIC.
[1]UM, Occitanie Region, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, CIRAD, INSERM, Montpellier University Hospital, ICM, Institut Agro Montpellier, ENSCM, Ifremer, INRIA.