New Call for Proposals: Bavaria-Western Cape Mobility Grant for Biotechnology, 2026
08/07/2026
The Bavaria-Western Cape Mobility Grant for Biotechnology is designed for the 18 organisations which signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of the Biotechnology Initiative Bavaria-Western Cape. The goal of the Biotech Initiative is to strengthen the ecosystems in Bavaria and the Western Cape by exchanging knowledge and complementing each other’s expertise to tackle global challenges. The grant supports the initiation of collaborative projects between the 18 partner organisations in Bavaria and the Western Cape. It enables staff of the participating organisations who lack institutional funding to travel to the partner region to make new contacts and strengthen existing ones. The goal of the trip should be to develop collaborations and joint grant proposals between Universities, Universities of Applied Sciences, start-ups or SMEs.
Which activities can be funded?
Each mobility application should address the following three aspects:
I) Advancing Research & Innovation:
The applicants need to demonstrate how they intend to start and carry out new and innovative research and innovation activities in the field of biotechnology in the areas of health, agriculture, environment or bioeconomy.
II) Strengthening Collaborations:
The application needs to plan activities in the partner region (Bavaria or Western Cape), which support the initiation or strengthening of long-term collaborations on an individual and institutional level, such as the development of joint research and innovation projects, programmes for student and staff exchanges, double degrees, internship programmes, etc.
III) EnablingTransdisciplinary Work:
Particularly welcome are activities which bridge collaborations between higher education institutions, start-ups and SMEs to enable a transfer of knowledge, to facilitate the achievement of market-readiness of promising technologies and to strengthen the biotech ecosystems in both regions.
Who can apply?
Persons who have the capacity to initiate and strengthen collaborations in the field of biotechnology between member organisations of the Biotech Initiative Bavaria-Western Cape.
Eligible to apply for this mobility grant are:
staff (advanced PhD candidates, postdocs, professors, coordinators, group leaders, PIs) of the four participating universities in the Western Cape (Cape Peninsula University of Technology, University of Cape Town, University of the Western Cape, Stellenbosch University) and the thirteen universities and universities of applied sciences in Bavaria (University of Augsburg, University of Bayreuth, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, University of Applied Sciences Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Technical University Munich, Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences, University of Regensburg, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg)
Staff of Enrich in Africa, staff at UnternehmerTUM and TUM Venture Lab, staff and project leaders of TUM International GmbH, staff and tenants of Innovation and Start-Up Center Biotechnology (IZB).
Which documents are needed for the application?
Each person who wants to travel can submit one application. The application needs to contain the two documents, Part A and Part B, a short CV and a support letter from the host institution. The letter of support shall be written by the main cooperation partner in the host country (see FAQ, Point 8).
How much is the budget?
The funding is paid as a lump sum. It consists of a travel allowance of 1735,00 Euro and daily allowances (75,00 Euro per day for a stay in Western Cape / 100,00 Euro per day for a stay in Bavaria). All other costs need to be cross-financed by these allowances or co-financed by other sources, which need to be explained in the application. A cost-neutral extension of trips is possible (see FAQ). The maximum amount of each grant is 4000,00 Euro.
On average, 1-2 mobility projects of each member organisation are likely to receive funding, depending on the overall number of submitted applications and the duration of the trips.
The funding is paid in two instalments: The first rate of 80% is transferred to the successful applicant after the grant agreement has been signed. The second instalment of 20% will be released after submission and approval of the final report. In the final report, the applicant summarises the activities and outcomes of the trip and provides financial proof of use (see FAQ).
How long can I travel?
The trip to the partner region needs to cover a duration of at least 5 days and at most 30 days. The trip can start after the grant agreement has been signed in the course of October 2026 and be completed by 30 April 2027.
Submission of the application
Please send the following four application documents as separate attachments in ONE email to biotech@no-spam-pleasebayfor.org
The deadline for submission is Monday, August 10, 2026, at 11:59 pm (CET). Applications which arrive after this deadline or do not adhere to the formal requirements of the call will neither be evaluated nor funded.
Following the announcement of the call results in September/October, a kick-off meeting will be held online to connect all successful candidates.
Please read these FAQs for detailed information.
For any other questions, contact the scientific coordinators of the Biotechnology Initiative Bavaria-Western Cape: biotech@bayfor.org
