The Alliance Hubert Curien Programme

The Alliance Hubert Curien programme allows early career researchers working in the eligible fields to apply for a grant to cover reciprocal mobility and collaboration over a 2 year period. The grants are designed to strengthen current research projects, and to strengthen links for future collaboration between the UK and France.

A maximum of £2,240 (EURO 2,500) can be requested each year by UK- and French-based researchers, meaning that a total of EURO 5,000 is potentially available to support reciprocal mobility in each of the two years.

The costs that can be covered are limited to travel costs and subsistence/per diems while abroad. Visas, insurance and other costs are not covered. Applicants will be able to request a grant contribution for tackling barriers to diversity and inclusion. Examples of costs that can be covered include but are not limited to additional childcare costs, measures to support the participation of researchers and team members with disabilities.

Applications from researchers working in the following scientific domains are open for proposals:

·        Mathematics

·        Chemical and Physical Sciences

·        Information and Communication Sciences

·        Biological & Medical Sciences

·        Environmental Sciences

·        Social Sciences & Humanities

The following domains in engineering, technology and innovation will be particularly favoured: Quantum Technologies, High Performance Computing (HPC), Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics, 5G/Telecoms, Advanced Materials, Advanced Manufacturing, Climate Change Management, Nuclear Energy, Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Security, Biotechnologies, and Resistance to microbes.

You must fulfil the criteria below to be eligible:

UK applicants must be based in the UK and must be an employee affiliated with a recognised publicly funded research establishment or public or private Higher Education Institution.

In most cases, applicants must be early-career researchers (‘R2 – Recognised Researcher’) or at the very beginning of R3 level as specified in the European Commission’s “Towards a European framework for Research Careers”. 

We would expect early career researchers to be at the beginning of their research careers and to have been awarded their PhD not more than 10 years prior to applying for the grant. Allowances can be made for career breaks or other extenuating circumstances, including parental/caregiving duties and/or illnesses.

If a researcher does not hold a PhD, but has research experience equivalent to a PhD-holder and works in a field where a PhD is not a prerequisite for established research activity, they will still be considered eligible. If a researcher obtained their PhD within the past ten years but holds a senior position they may be considered a Senior Researcher and therefore not eligible.

Applicants can be of any nationality, but they must be able to secure and fund a visa for the planned mobility to France if needed. Travel may only be between the UK and France.

Applicants must submit a completed online application form via the British Council system. Email submissions will not be accepted. Applications are now closed for projects funded in 2023.

The online form allows applicants to enter information and save it for a later date until final submission.

In addition to filling in the online form, applicants are required to upload the following documents:

1.  A signed letter of support from the Head of Department (or equivalent) of your current home institution.
2.  CVs of all UK and French researchers who will be travelling.

Note that in order to be eligible, the French institution must also have submitted their application via the French process in line with the respective eligibility requirements and deadlines.