Connected Community Call for Participation | 2025
The European university alliance EUTOPIA aims to strengthen collaboration among its ten partner universities across Europe, creating new synergies through joint projects in teaching, learning, and research. With the current call, EUTOPIA invites researchers to establish a Connected Community (CC). These Connected Communities are intended to build international and interdisciplinary networks over a three-year period, in which researchers, students, and external partners collaborate to find solutions to global challenges.
On Monday, 2.12. at 10:00 a.m. and on Wednesday, 18.12. at 2:00 p.m. there will be an information event on the call via Zoom. For access data, please contact kerstin.le_merdy@tu-dresden.de
Goal of the Call
The current call invites researchers to collaborate with colleagues from other EUTOPIA partner universities to build new networks. Connected Communities create space for innovative international cooperation, offering opportunities to gain valuable cross-border experiences through joint teaching and research projects – for instance in seminars, summer schools or virtual labs – and strengthen long-term exchange.
Participation offers various benefits:
- Increased international visibility and impact in teaching, learning, and research.
- Active contribution to shaping the European educational and research landscape through innovative, challenge-oriented projects.
- Numerous networking opportunities for international funding programs and research collaborations.
- Connected Communities thus provide the opportunity to introduce new ideas in education and research across borders.
Funding Framework
As part of the program, a Connected Community will be launched at each EUTOPIA partner university, with funding of 10,000 euros over a period of three years. These funds can be used for various project-related expenses, including:
- Networking costs: Support for travel and accommodation costs related to educational or research exchanges, if no other funding programs are available.
- Event organization: Funding for guest speakers, translation services, venue rentals, platforms, and logistics for workshops and events.
- Student fees and technical resources: Honoraria for student assistants or freelancers, software licenses, and technical equipment.
- Research publications and conferences: Support for student projects, publication fees, conference participation, and translations.
This funding is a core element of the program and contributes to strengthening international exchange and collaboration within the EUTOPIA alliance.
Objectives and Structure of the Connected Communities
EUTOPIA's Connected Communities are theme-based networks that connect teaching, research, and societal challenges. The communities focus on three key objectives:
- Connecting teaching and research: The communities promote activities that actively involve students, PhD candidates, and postdocs in teaching and research.
- Linking science and society: Research and learning should focus on addressing socially relevant challenges and/or engage external stakeholders.
- Promoting inclusion: Connected Communities enable participants who have had limited access to international networks and learning opportunities to actively engage in global networks and interdisciplinary learning opportunities.
Eligibility and Submission Process
- Eligibility: Academic staff at the Technical University of Dresden who are active in teaching and research.
- Application deadline: January 31, 2025.
- Required: A Letter of Commitment outlining the intended participation in the community as well as an agreement of cooperation with at least two EUTOPIA partner universities.
The application process is designed to be simple to minimize the effort required for submission. The final selection of the funded communities will take place in March 2025 by the EUTOPIA MORE Selection Panel. Projects that are not selected may be resubmitted in future calls.
Additional Support
In addition to financial support, EUTOPIA provides strategic and organizational assistance:
- Facilitator Support: International and local facilitators will guide the projects, help with partner search, and document the progress of the communities.
- Ongoing support: The EUTOPIA Central Team organizes regular meetings to foster collaboration and actively involve all participants.
Yes, in this case, please contact us so that we can help identify possible partners within the EUTOPIA alliance that are compatible with your idea and research/teaching interests.
Yes, if a permanent TUD member takes overall responsibility for the CC and hands in the application you can create a CC by indicating how overall goals will be met and how the CC’s successful and sustainable long-term implementation is guaranteed in case of personnel changes.
Yes, projects that have already been tested elsewhere are particularly suitable for a Connected Community. It is only important that at least 2 other partners of the Eutopia Alliance are involved.
The 10.000 EUR can be spent according to individual needs (in consultation with the other CC partners) as far as they align with the CC goals, e.g., for student assistants (SHK/WHK), consumables, or mobility costs (see Type and extent of funding). If the set goals are met before the 2 years are up or other funding opportunities apply, the 10.000 EUR can also be spent over a shorter period.
Yes, depending on your CC’s focus, there are several other funding opportunities (e.g., Lab2Lab, FOSTER). Please contact us so that we can identify applicable programs.
Yes, that is possible.
Consultation and Contact
Interested researchers at the Technical University of Dresden who wish to submit a project idea or need further information can contact Kerstin Le Merdy. She and her colleague will be happy to assist in developing your project proposal and application.
For more details on the application guidelines and the application form, please refer to the attached document Connected Community Process and Criteria.
© Sven Ellger
EUTOPIA MORE Local Facilitator
NameKerstin Le Merdy
Center for interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching
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