UTS Key Technology Partnerships Seed Funding Scheme

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• Funding categories

  Funding categories may include academic/research collaboration with UTS Key Technology Partners to undertake:

  • Joint virtual events (conference, workshop, webinar, forum, symposium)
  • Data collection
  • Publication support/Literary review
  • Generation of preliminary data
  • Experiments to develop proof of concept
  • Initiatives that promote the development of industry and government linkages
  • Initiatives that have a strong likelihood of delivering competitive external funding applications
  • Access to necessary software
  • External project website or other multimedia production and development
  • Development and implementation of survey instruments
  • Access to online databases
  • Consumable equipment costs for the sole use of the project; such as primers, probes, reagents, pipettes.
  • Equipment items up to A$5,000
  • Prototype production
  • The development and production of dissemination reports

  Important: Please note that this seed funding scheme does not cover travel related expenses (flights, accommodation, living stipends). Neither for inbound nor outbound, for students, academic or professional staff.

  The following expense items are not supported by this scheme: 

  • Travel related expenses (inbound or outbound). 

    To apply for inbound travel funding for a KTP counterpart to visit UTS, please visit the UTS KTP Visiting Fellow Program web page. To apply for outbound travel funding from UTS to a KTP, please visit the Programs offered by our Key Technology Partners web page. 

  • Costs related to attending conferences (travel expenses or participation). Check for funding available at UTS Faculties/Institutes.
  • Research assistant salaries. Instead, UTS encourages academics to consider support from Higher Degree Research students.
  • Salaries for the time spent on the project.
  • General management/overhead fees.
  • Fees for open access journals.
  • Equipment items exceeding A$5,000.

  Considerations for project proposals:

  When considering an international collaboration, it is important for collaborators to make an informed decision based on a proportionate assessment of the risks involved. Please refer to the UTS International Collaboration and Engagement Portal (access to UTS staff) to ensure your joint project proposal is aligned with UTS’s international engagement framework.

• Funding details

  • Total funding requested per application should not exceed A$10,000.
  • Funds will be released in June and must be spent by 4 December 2026.
  • Funds will be transferred to the Faculty or Institute (ISF/IPPG) of the UTS collaborator.
  • Any finance related questions may be directed to the UTS Faculty/Institute Finance Partner.
  • The funding awardees will be required to submit a Progress Report in June 2027.

  Please note that UTS and the Key Technology Partners jointly fund successful proposals. Reviewers from both universities assess applications together and decide which institution will cover each budget item.

• Eligibility criteria

  Eligible applicants:

  • The UTS host must be employed at UTS on an ongoing role with the intention to remain at UTS, and the KTP collaborator must be employed on an ongoing basis at one of the Key Technology partner institutions; which helps to establish sustainable, long term collaborations.
  • Candidates may only be involved in one application per funding round.
  • If you are an academic, this scheme is open to all career stages (early, mid-career and senior academics). Applications are also open to non-academic staff.
  • Applications are prepared in conjunction with collaborators from one of the Key Technology partner institutions.
  • Proposals for new projects from candidates who haven’t been awarded KTP funding in the past are preferred.
  • Applications to grow a previously funded project must provide evidence of milestones and articulate how the funding will help them to grow and achieve significant results; e.g., access to external funding, bring revenue, develop joint programs, have tangible impact.
  • Applications will not be accepted from UTS staff or KTP collaborators who have received Key Technology Partnership funding in the previous two years, covering 2024 and 2025. 

  Eligible institutions:

  Joint activity proposals in collaboration with counterparts from the following UTS Key Technology Partner universities are eligible:

  • Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM)
  • Institut Mines-Telecom
  • Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (UC I Chile)
  • Shanghai University (SHU)*
  • Technical University of Berlin (TUB)
  • University of Arizona (UA)

  • VinUniversity (VinUni)

    * Collaborative projects and visits with Shanghai University will be considered only if they align with one of the following priority areas:

  1. Creative Industries – as outlined in the UTS Creative Industries Strategy.
  2. Environmental Engineering / Sustainability.
  3. Health technologies.

• How to apply

  1. Identify collaborators from one of the eligible institutions listed above, who are interested in submitting a joint proposal.
  2. Download the application form PDF to view a preview of the questions. Discuss and prepare the proposal with your collaborator. Please note: the application form has embedded logic, displaying questions relevant to the chosen program and partner.
  3. Submit the online application form by 15 April 2026 (11pm AEST).
  4. The Global Partnerships team will seek feedback and endorsement from the relevant internal stakeholders.
  5. Application outcomes will be announced via email by 5 June 2026. 

• Assessment process

  • A Review Committee will be responsible for the assessment of all grant applications.
  • Applications must meet the eligibility requirements and will be assessed based on the evaluation criteria set out below.

• Evaluation criteria

  Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

  • Strength of the proposed collaboration (30%)

  Outline the strengths of your proposed collaboration, the benefits for UTS and the KTP, budget feasibility and alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

  • Outputs, Outcomes, Impact (40%)

  Articulate the outputs, outcomes and impact of your collaboration. 

  • Interdisciplinarity – actual and/or potential involvement across multiple Faculties and disciplines (10%)

  Elaborate on the interdisciplinary nature of your collaboration, listing all the Faculties, Schools, and staff from both UTS and the KTP that will be involved.

  • Student engagement (10%)

  Describe the engagement of students in your collaboration and/or the potential it holds for creating opportunities for coursework and/or research training at both universities.

  • Vision for the future (10%)

  Outline the short, medium, and long-term goals of the collaboration.

• Post-award

  • Funding must be spent by 4 December 2026.
  • Establish, with the help of the Global Partnerships team, a simple project page to share your collaboration story on the UTS website.
  • Funding awardees must formally acknowledge support received from UTS in publications and presentations flowing from the research project which has received funding.
  • Funding awardees must submit a progress report in June 2027.
    

• Important dates

  01 March 2026	Applications open
  15 April 2026	Applications close
  18 April – 4 June 2026	Stakeholder consultation and assessment
  5 June 2026	Results announced
  15 June – 4 December 2026	Project implementation
  June 2027	Progress report submission

• Contact us

  For any queries, please contact the UTS Global Partnerships team at globalpartnerships@uts.edu.au.