UTS has joined the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), a leading global higher education network connecting 23 research-intensive universities in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. WUN offers special programs for career development including networking opportunities for researchers.
Applications for the 2026 Research Development Fund are now open. The deadline for submission of Letters of Intent (LOI) for collaborative projects where UTS is the lead is 31 August 2026.
WUN Research Development Fund
The Worldwide Universities Network Research Development Fund is an annual competitive fund that aims to bring together researchers from WUN member universities to undertake innovative, high quality, sustainable research that addresses global challenges. The WUN RDF supports innovative, internationally collaborative research aligned with sustainable development priorities.
WUN RDF Funding
The WUN Research Development Fund (RDF) is an annual competitive fund aimed at bringing together researchers to undertake innovative, high quality, sustainable research that addresses global challenges.
The WUN RDF provides grants of up to £10,000 (approx. A$18,900) for one year to foster research collaborations among academic staff at WUN member universities. UTS may provide up to A$5,000 in additional funding to support a successful application with a UTS Principal Investigator as the project lead, subject to a clear justification for the need for supplementary funding.
The 2026 RDF is a transitional funding call aligned with WUN's future strategic direction. As part of this transition, funding will be provided for a smaller number of projects overall (up to 10), with a maximum of one application permitted per lead member university. Member universities may still participate as co investigators on multiple projects.
For information on what expenditure categories WUN RDF funds support, please refer to ‘Annex: Permitted Uses of RDF Funds’ in the 2026 WUN RDF Guidelines.
Eligibility
The RDF is open to academic staff (faculty members) at WUN member universities.
UTS academics may participate in these projects as Principal Investigators or Co-Investigators. Each WUN member university may submit a maximum of one application with its researchers as Principal Investigators.
The project must engage at least three WUN member universities, including UTS, in at least two regions. WUN regions are defined as Latin America, North America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Non-WUN universities and external partners may also participate, however, projects must mantain an active core of WUN member universities.
Proposals are welcome from researchers at all career stages. Teams that include, or are led by, early career researchers are particularly encouraged to apply. Projects led by an early career researcher as principal investigator may receive additional points during the review process.
The WUN Research Development Fund definition of Early Career Researcher is: A researcher who is in the final year of their terminal degree program (e.g., PhD) or has completed fewer than seven years* of their first appointment as a member of faculty/academic staff. *The age of the researcher has no bearing on this timeframe, and career breaks within this period do not count against the total.
To support successful project delivery and longer-term collaboration outcomes, it is advisable that the UTS Principal Investigator holds a contract that extends through both 2027 and 2028. This provides continuity during the project period and allows additional time for promising collaborations to be further developed. Applicants are also encouraged to include at least one additional UTS academic who is actively involved in the project and can assume responsibilities if required. This helps ensure continuity, and the successful implementation of project.
Previously Funded Projects Applications should not be an extension of, or minor variations on, previously funded RDF projects. This is noted in the How applications are assessed: Academic Quality section as follows: Is the project academically rigorous, and does it address a new research problem or take an existing WUN research program in a significantly new direction?
If you're interested in leading a collaborative research project through the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), you’re invited to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) as a principal investigator. This role involves guiding the project’s vision and coordinating with your counterparts at other WUN member universities. To get started, please submit the internal UTS LOI form here.
You can also get involved in a WUN project as a co-investigator, by contributing your expertise to a proposal led by another researcher. If this suits you better, we recommend creating a WUN Hub researcher profile via the WUN Hub page. This profile enables WUN colleagues with related interests to identify and connect with each other. The lead investigator will then submit the proposal as per the process at their home university.
Evaluation Criteria
How applications are assessed
Applications are reviewed and ranked by a committee of at least six members of the WUN Academic Advisory Group (AAG).
Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:
- ACADEMIC QUALITY
Is the project academically rigorous, and does it address a new research problem or take an existing WUN research program in a significantly new direction? - RELEVANCE TO CALL
Within the context of sustainable development, does the project address a problem of consequence in one or more of the focus areas? WUN ADVANTAGE
Is the project one that WUN can pursue with advantage?WUN is likely to have a special advantage when the research problem:
- Requires distinctive constellations of talent that are best assembled (or can only be
assembled) by drawing on multiple partners. - Presents opportunities for comparative analysis, stemming from member universities’
locations in different geographical and cultural contexts. - Requires access to unique environments/resources possessed by one or more partners.
- Requires distinctive constellations of talent that are best assembled (or can only be
- RESEARCH TEAM
Does the project involve a well-qualified team of researchers drawn from relevant disciplines and
regions? - OUTCOME AND IMPACT
Does the application clearly specify what will have been achieved by the end of the funding period of
one year, and is there a realistic plan to secure impact? Impact might be achieved through one or more
of the following: authoritative research publication(s) or policy paper(s); the project having laid the
groundwork for major research funding.
2026 Focus Areas
WUN invites proposals that address problems in one or more of the following areas within the context of sustainable development:
- Social justice and human rights; inequality
- Sustainable world: cities and urbanisation; energy transitions; water and food security
- Mental health; child and maternal health; ageing
- Responsible and ethical applications of Artificial Intelligence
Important Information for this round
The WUN RDF 2026 round has been designed as a transition to WUN's future approach to supporting research collaboration which is currently under development and will be implemented as part of the new strategic plan.
The modifications to this transitional round are as follows:
The 2026 round specifically will fund a smaller number of projects overall (up to 10);
A maximum of one application per lead member university will be permitted. Member universities may collaborate as co-investigators on as many projects as they wish.
To learn about the assessment criteria, categories of expenditure and reporting, please read the 2026 WUN RDF Guidelines carefully.
UTS Call for Letters of Intent
The Letter of Intent (LOI) submission is part of the initial UTS internal review process undertaken before a formal application is submitted to WUN. The deadline for LOI submissions is Monday, 31 August 2026, at 11pm AEST. One LOI will be selected at UTS to be developed into full proposal.
The LOI should address:
- Project details
- Evaluation criteria
- List of co-investigators and their corresponding universities
- Funding requested
- Categories of expenditure you are planning to use funding for
- Outcome and Impact
Please note that you should only submit an LOI if your intention is that UTS will be the lead institution on your project.
Please find the links to the WUN Information Session below:11 August session- Meeting Registration - Zoom
How to submit an LOI
- Identify collaborators from the WUN member universities list, who are interested in submitting a joint proposal.
- Download the 2026 WUN Research Development Fund Letter of Intent (LOI) form (PDF, 233kB) to view a preview of the questions. Discuss and prepare the proposal with your collaborators.
- Submit the Internal UTS LOI.
Application process timeline
| 31 August 2026 | Deadline for submission of LOIs (Please note that an LOI is only required if your intention is to be the Principal Investigator on a project) |
| 22 September 2026 | Announcement of one LOI that will be invited to develop into full proposals |
| 6 October 2026 | Draft of full proposal submitted online for faculty assessment prior to final submission to WUN |
| 15 October 2026 (11pm AEST) | Online submission of UTS applications via the WUN application portal |
| 15 December 2026 | WUN announces results |
| February 2027 | Funds made available |