Joint funding calls sound straightforward: one project, two countries, one proposal. In practice there are usually two national processes, two sets of eligibility rules, and two deadlines that do not align perfectly.
The binding constraint is rarely the science. It is that both sides must be ready at the same moment.
How joint calls typically work
- Each side applies to its own national funder, referencing the same joint project.
- Both applications must succeed for the project to proceed.
- Eligibility, allowable costs and reporting differ on each side.
- Success on one side alone usually means nothing proceeds.
Preparation timeline
- Identify the partner at least six months before the call closes.
- Confirm institutional support on both sides early.
- Build both budgets in parallel, in each country's format.
- Allow time for institutional sign-off, which is not instantaneous anywhere.
Practical checks
- Confirm your partner is eligible under their national scheme.
- Confirm your costs are allowable under yours.
- Check whether either funder restricts spending in the other country.
- Check whether equipment purchase is allowed and who ends up owning it.
Writing the joint proposal
- Make the case for why this must be a joint project, specifically.
- Show genuine complementarity rather than division of labour by geography.
- Give both sides substantive intellectual roles in the narrative.
- A proposal where one side collects and the other analyses reads poorly to reviewers now.
Other funding routes
- Multilateral and regional programmes with wider eligibility.
- Development-focused funders supporting applied problems.
- Mobility and fellowship schemes for individuals rather than projects.
- Mobility grants are the cheapest way to test a partnership before committing.
One thing worth remembering
Use a small mobility or seed grant to test the partnership first.
A three-year joint project is a large commitment to make on the basis of correspondence. A funded two-week exchange costs a fraction, answers most of the questions that matter, and makes the eventual full proposal far stronger because it can describe work already done together.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
How do joint funding calls typically work?
Each side applies to its own national funder referencing the same project, both applications must succeed, and eligibility, allowable costs and reporting differ on each side.
What preparation timeline is needed?
Identify the partner at least six months before the call closes, confirm institutional support early, build both budgets in parallel in each country's format, and allow time for sign-off.
What practical checks are required?
That your partner is eligible under their scheme and your costs allowable under yours, whether either funder restricts spending in the other country, and whether equipment purchase is allowed and who owns it.
What makes a strong joint proposal?
Making the case for why it must be joint specifically, showing genuine complementarity rather than division by geography, and giving both sides substantive intellectual roles.
What is the cheapest way to test a partnership?
A small mobility or seed grant — it costs a fraction of a full project, answers most questions that matter, and makes the eventual proposal stronger by describing work already done together.
