Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre Governance of Migration and Diversity - Leiden University – LDE Governance of Migration and Diversity Seed Fund

What the LDE GMD Seed Fund offers

You get seed money (start-up funding) to run a migration- or diversity-related project with people from the other two universities in the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus (LDE) alliance. The exact amount is set in the application form and is not published in advance. The money can cover research start-up costs, conferences and symposia, travel and accommodation for guest speakers, student traineeships, community activities, workshops, exhibitions, materials and communication work. You must carry out and settle your project between January and October 2027. The fund is run by the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre Governance of Migration and Diversity, backed by Leiden University, TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam.

You can apply to one of three tracks: a research fund for the early phase of an interdisciplinary project, an events fund for symposia and research meetings, and a community fund mainly for young scholars who organise activities or link up with NGOs.

Who can apply

• Who you are: You are an academic at any career stage at Leiden University, TU Delft or Erasmus University Rotterdam. Master's students and PhD candidates can apply too, especially for the community fund. Early- and mid-career researchers are particularly encouraged.
• Team across universities: At least two people from different LDE universities must play a real part. A project run at just one university cannot apply.
• Different disciplines: Your team must combine different fields, or be part of an interdisciplinary team.
• Topic: Your project must relate to the governance of migration, diversity or social inequalities.
• Nationality: Any nationality can apply.
• Applying again: You can be the main applicant only once per round. If you had a Seed Fund before, you can reapply only with a new project and/or a new team.

How to apply

You fill in the official application form from the centre's website, describe your idea in at most 1,000 words, and attach a budget estimate. The deadline for the 2026 call is 1 July 2026. A Seed Fund Board reviews the proposals and the Academic Executive Board makes the final decision. All applicants get feedback before the result is announced.

How realistic are your chances?

This fund is narrowly cut. You need a genuine team spanning at least two of the three LDE universities, across different disciplines, on a migration or diversity topic. In the first round about 7 projects were funded from more than 40 applications, so competition is real. But the pool is limited to people already inside these three universities. If you have a strong cross-university, interdisciplinary team and a clear link to the research agenda, your prospects are solid.