Across Engagement Call 2026

Funding for Regional and Stakeholder Activities 

Application deadline: rolling call until 15 November 2026 (or until the available budget has been exhausted)

Background and purpose

Across – European University for Cross-Border Knowledge Sharing connects universities, researchers, students and external actors to jointly address the challenges and opportunities of European border regions. This call supports TU Chemnitz staff and students in implementing collaborative activities that actively involve businesses, public bodies or civil society.

Eligible activities and requirements

Eligible activities include innovative and collaborative formats held in Chemnitz, in the region of an Across partner university, online or in a hybrid format. Examples include:

• Interactive workshops and round tables: bringing together TU Chemnitz researchers and external stakeholders to address specific technological or societal challenges.

• Challenge teams and hackathons: involving students, researchers and external stakeholders in developing solutions to local or cross-border challenges.

• Matchmaking, transfer and networking events: initiating concrete cooperation between TU Chemnitz, Across partners, businesses, start-ups, incubators and other regional or international actors.

• Public engagement and science cafés: facilitating the exchange of knowledge, experience and perspectives between researchers, citizens and policymakers.

Purely academic events without active external stakeholder involvement, one-way dissemination and attendance at third-party conferences are not eligible.

Target audience & stakeholders

• Applications may be submitted by TU Chemnitz staff members and enrolled students.
• Each activity must involve TU Chemnitz staff and/or students and at least one external stakeholder group in an active role, such as businesses, public authorities, chambers and clusters, incubators, non-profit organisations, civil-society representatives, citizens or community initiatives.
• Collaboration with another Across university or its regional partners is strongly encouraged. Without direct partner involvement, the proposal must demonstrate clear relevance or transferability to Across cross-border regions. Activities must be consistent with European values and inclusive participation.
• An applicant may lead no more than one proposal under this 2026 call. The activity must be completed by 31 December 2026, and no financial commitment may be made before written approval.
• Each project must be affiliated with an organisational unit of TU Chemnitz. Student-led projects must additionally name a responsible staff contact from that organisational unit.

Funding and organisational framework

Funding of up to €5,000 per activity is available from the TU Chemnitz Across budget administered by the International Office. The selection committee may award the requested amount in full or in part, or make funding conditional on adjustments to the proposed budget or activity.

Applicants and their organisational units are responsible for the design, organisation and administrative implementation of the activity, including any required procurement. The Across Team Chemnitz supports networking with Across partners and stakeholders and provides guidance on visibility requirements.

Eligible expenses

Eligible expenses may include:

• staff costs, for example for student assistants;
• honoraria for guest speakers or other external contributors;
• travel and accommodation costs for staff and students of TU Chemnitz and Across partner universities, provided that the travel directly supports the preparation or implementation of the activity;
• material costs, for example consumables, venue hire or hospitality.

The following expenses are not eligible:

• give-aways beyond basic promotional materials;
• investments and infrastructure, for example hardware, machinery or electrical equipment;
• travel undertaken solely to attend conferences, general networking meetings or third-party events.

Double funding of the same expenditure is not permitted. Other funding sources for clearly distinguishable expenses must be disclosed in the application.

Payment for external services requires a procurement procedure through the responsible organisational unit in accordance with the applicable TU Chemnitz guidelines. Involvement as an external co-organiser does not create an entitlement to be awarded a contract.

Proposal evaluation criteria

Proposals will be reviewed by a TU Chemnitz selection committee based on:

• Relevance to Across: alignment with cross-border knowledge transfer and stakeholder engagement goals.
• Impact & stakeholder involvement: the depth and clarity of external stakeholder participation.
• Feasibility: clear timeline, realistic budgeting and organisational feasibility.
• Sustainability: potential for the activity to spark long-term cooperation or future third-party funding applications.

Visibility, reporting and evidence

All funded activities must be clearly identifiable as Across events in their public presentation and at the venue. This applies in particular to invitations, programmes, presentations, event signage, websites and social media posts. The Across logo, EU emblem, applicable funding statement and disclaimer must be used in accordance with the relevant requirements. Materials must be submitted to the Across Team Chemnitz for review before publication.

A short report using the provided template must be submitted within 14 days after the activity.

Download report template

Application procedure

The application should be one to two pages long, written in English or German and structured as follows:

• Applicant and activity: title, applicant, responsible TU Chemnitz organisational unit, responsible staff contact for student-led projects, date, format and venue or delivery mode.

• Relevance to Across: contribution to university–business–society dialogue and to the challenges, needs or opportunities of border regions.

• Stakeholders and reach: participating external stakeholders and Across partners, their intended roles and expected participant numbers by category.

• Implementation and results: timeline, responsibilities, expected results and follow-up activities.

• Budget: itemised costs and any other funding sources.

Deadlines and procedures

• Application deadline: Applications may be submitted until 15 November 2026 and will be assessed on a rolling basis. The call may close earlier if the available budget is exhausted.

• Implementation deadline: 31 December 2026. Early submission is strongly recommended to allow sufficient time for approval and TU Chemnitz administrative procedures.

• Communication of results: Applicants will be informed of the outcome by email within two weeks of submission. Selected activities will be featured on the TU Chemnitz Across website.

Send the proposal by email to across-engagement@iuz.tu-chemnitz.de.

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