Calls for Funding for PhD Students & Postdocs

4TU.Energy will connect and build upon the individual strengths of the 4TUs and facilitate coordination and collaboration among researchers in the field of energy. Based on the success of calls for funding to research staff, 4TU Energy now provides the following funding to PhD students & Postdocs who are the future engineers/scientists, with the goal and aim as:

• to further lower the threshold of research collaboration between 4TUs
• to provide the opportunity to PhD students/Postdocs with experiencing the funding acquisition process
• to facilitate PhD students/Postdocs with their own innovative research ideas
• to support the academia career development of PhD students/Postdocs

Note: The initiators of this network are TU Delft, University Twente, TU Eindhoven, and Wageningen University and Research (4TUs); all proposals should include at least 2 out of 4 technical universities to boost the collaboration between 4 TUs

• The applicants are those PhD students or Postdocs employed within 4TUs who need extra challenges in academia and need quick funding support to realize their own research ideas.
• Your proposal is an original and an innovative research idea within the domain of Energy.
• Your proposal shall also be practical in work plan and budget plan; the project needs to be ended before 31 October 2026, and the corresponding reimbursement needs to be completed before 31 October 2026 as well.
• Your proposal is an initiative of at least 2 TUs out of 4TUs, your co-applicants can be PhD students and or Postdocs but cannot be research staff (there is a separate funding scheme for research staff within 4TUs: https://www.4tu.nl/energy/funding/).
• If a co-applicant works in external-4TU network, a reason must be provided on extra benefits to include this co-applicant.
• A permission letter (please use the template provided) from your supervisor (for all applicants) should be provided as an approve that you have the ability to carry out extra research project which will not hamper the progress of your already funded project(s).

This call opens from 3 April 2025 and closes on 30 September 2025. All proposals will be collected until 30 September 2025.

In October 2025, all proposals will be reviewed in one round and scored by the 4TU Energy Call Committee according to the requirements which are described in this document – session “Review criteria”, by using a score form. Top 5 proposals will be granted, with maximum €5k for each proposal, with the possibility of a smaller amount.

The decision letter and grant letter will be sent to the main applicant before 31 October 2025. The grant letter needs to be informed to the financial department at your university (one of the 4TUs). Your financial contact will inform you how to proceed the declaration of 4TU activities.

The co-applicant(s) from external-4TU network (not from TU Delft, University Twente, TU Eindhoven, or Wageningen University and Research) has/have no access to the declaration; in this case, the main applicant who is in one of the 4TUs must take care of the declaration part from external-4TU applicant(s).

The funding should be spent within one year after it has been awarded, which is before 31 October 2026. The reimbursement is based on the actual costs incurred and must be submitted to the financial department at your university (one of the 4TUs) before 31 October 2026.The reimbursement request after 31 October 2026 will take the risk of being not reimbursed by financial department.

• One A4 page report (please use the template), with photo and or video as preferred visual material in case of presentations/meetings
• A short presentation for 4TU Energy public event
• In all communications regarding the project outcomes, 4TU.Energy must be acknowledged, and the logo should be included wherever possible

Please indicate in advance if a report or visual material is not allowed to be published in the format of news.  

In order to apply for funding, submit a proposal in the following format describing the five items mentioned below. The page limit is max. 2 page of A4 for the main content. Attachments are allowed for parts below with * symbol.

1. Who are the applicants and the main contact person?

State i) name, ii) already funded PhD project, and iii) affiliation (section/department & university) of the applicants, iv) contact email address. What are the expertises of all the applicants, and how they are aligned up for this proposal?

*A copy of the employee page/research profile from your university or your work place must be sent in separate attachments. This applied to all the applicants.

An applicant is not allowed to participate in more than one proposal.

2. WHO is your supervisor of your already funded project(s)?

State i) name of your supervisor, ii) the title and function of your supervisor, iii) affiliation (section/department & university) of your supervisor, iv) contact email address of your supervisor

*A permission letter or email from the supervisor needs to be provided in separate attachments; this applies to all the applicants (please use the template provided). For the main applicant, current contract end date must be after 31 October 2026.

3. How much funding is requested?

The maximum amount of funding that can be requested is €5 k per proposal. The requested funding is expected to be in balance with the expected research output. If a proposal does not sufficiently substantiate the need for the budget applied for, a smaller amount may be awarded.

A contextual breakdown of costs/budget plan is needed; concrete version in the main proposal is preferred but a *detailed version as attachment is advised.

Eligible cost including:

·         The use of facilities and equipment at other universities or a company

• Travel cost for working on your own research in other labs or a company (based on NS travel history)
• Travel cost for events (program/registration needs to be provided) or networking (invitation/contact person needs to be provided) that benefit your own research project; or cost for necessary promotion/meetings/visit
• Accommodation and food cost during the stay (max.€200 per day, based on receipt)
• Purchase of samples/reactants (based on invoice)
• Prototype realization
• Valorization

Note: the Review Committee will make the final decision if all your budget list is eligible. The reimbursement is based on the actual costs incurred: invoices or receipts.

Ineligible cost including:

·         Anything which are a part of your already funded projects including attending conferences or the work for your PhD thesis

·         The extension of your current contract (in case of need, a proposal from your supervisor should be submitted, which is out of the scope of this funding)

·         Costs related to the business premises

·         Costs for hours and spend on your funded PhD project(s)

·         Samples/Reactants/Equipment/Software/Hardware/Devices which can be used for your funded project(s)

·         Matching in a grant application

·         Consultancy/service fee

4. Why is the funding needed?

Describe why 4TU.Energy should fund your proposal? What’s the importance and urgency? What is the state-of-the art? What the added value is of conducting this in 4TU Energy? How is your proposal connected and differentiate from your already funded project?

The proposal must have no direct relationship with other proposals funded already by the 4TU federation. Please state in case there are any other subsidies/contributions that will be added on top.

Additionally, please explain if there are follow-ups on research proposals? How is this proposal connected to your (main applicant) next career step?

5. When will the funding be used?

Describe objectives and deliverables. Please provide a year agenda/plan including timelines, start date, and estimated completion dates, a reasonable time window deviation is acceptable. The more specific your deliverables are planned, the higher chance your proposal will be funded.

A concrete version of the year plan in the main proposal is preferred but a *detailed version as attachment is advised.

Please read the checklist (in “Downloads”) for required documents for your submission.

·         Collaboration (25%): are there at least 2 universities of 4TUs in the proposal? Does your co-applicant fit well in your proposal? How are the expertises of all applicants aligned up to answer your research question(s)?

·         Contribution to the Energy Transition (20%): how does your contribution fit the big goal – Energy Transition? Is there any follow-ups on your research proposals? How is this proposal connected to your next career step?

·         Commitment of time and money (20%): is the budget plan eligible and reasonable?

·         Innovative character (20%): where is the state-of-the-art?

·         The importance and urgency (15%): why 4TU.Energy needs to fund you? why now?

By submitting your proposal(s), your declarations on the following conditions are agreed:

• I / we declare that the full version of this document has been read through.
• I / we declare that the information in the proposal(s) is correct and complete.
• I / we declare that the proposal idea is the original idea.
• I / we declare that during the implementation of the proposal(s), all activities and researches are in accordance with the law and regulations of where you are appointed.
• When data is enriched, it should be accumulated in accordance with the law and regulations of the country in which the data is collected.
• I / we declare that no subsidy will be obtained from other subsidy programs for the same proposal(s).
• I / we declare that if granted, 4TU.Energy (with logo) will be acknowledged for all relevant publication/presentation/report.

If your proposal is funded, you declare that:

• I give my consent that 4TU.Energy can use my public profile picture, either from a university webpage or LinkedIn, in external communication.

Applications can be submitted between 3 April and 30 September 2025.

Please submit the proposal conform the above format and all the attachments in pdf file by e-mail to our coordinator Sha Lou (4tu.energy@4tu.nl). Submission must take place between 3 April 2025 and 30 September 2025.

A confirmation email will be sent to you. Applications that do not meet the minimum requirements (e.g. eligibility criteria and proposal requirements stated above) will not be considered.

Proposals will be evaluated by the 4TU.Energy Call Committee in October 2025.

The applicants will then be informed about the outcome of the application procedure by email before 31 October 2025.

Granted projects will be selected to give a pitch presentation during the 4TU.Energy Community Day; and a concrete report (please use the template) is expected within 1 year.

Project ends on 31 October 2026. All the actual costs incurred must be declared before 31 October 2026.

In case of minor changes, please consult our website before applying. The latest version is valid. No rights can be obtained to this document or earlier versions.

For any questions/remarks, please contact our coordinator:

Sha Lou – s.lou@tue.nl or 4tu.energy@4tu.nl