Manchester-Manipal Academy of Higher Education
The University of Manchester and Manipal Academy of Higher Education are collaborating on a new research seed fund initiative to support international research collaboration between the two institutions, world-leading research and to leverage international research funding in the future.
The purpose of the fund is to initiate or develop new research partnerships. Funds will be awarded to projects which encourage the building of networks of researchers and have clearly defined plans for future funding.
Funding
The Fund is open to applications from all research areas, and we encourage applicants from any discipline to submit proposals. We encourage the involvement of research staff who are Early Career Researchers (ECRs) either as the principal investigators (PIs) or as members of the project team (please check the criteria in the call details to ensure eligibility).
The proposed collaborative project should present a balance between partnership building activities and direct research, as appropriate, considering the key objectives of the funding opportunity. Projects can include:
- joint research activities: scoping, feasibility, or proof of concept studies;
- travel and networking;
- exchange visits;
- skills training.
Projects that primarily focus on teaching or training will not be eligible.
Latest call
The last call closed in February 2026 and there are currently no open calls. 
Researchers can sign up for the  to be notified when new calls are announced.
Awarded projects
| Manchester lead | Manipal lead | Faculty (Manchester) | School (Manchester) | Research project title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prof Siddharth Banka | Dr Vivekananda Bhat | Biology, Medicine and Health | School of Biological Sciences | Evaluating the burden of snRNA variants in undiagnosed neurodevelopmental disorders |
| Dr Elizabeth Dalgarno | Dr Arathi Rao Prahallada | Biology, Medicine and Health | School of Medical Sciences | Domestic Violence, Family Court–Related Harms, and Safety Pathways for Women |
| Dr Riccardo Storchi | Dr Jagnoor Sandhu | Biology, Medicine and Health | School of Biological Sciences | Automated AI-Driven Grimace Scale for Enhanced Rodent Welfare Monitoring |
| Dr Marcellus Mbah | Dr Dhanasree Jayaram | Humanities | School of Environment, Education and Development | Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Climate Governance and Education |
| Prof Aravind Vijayaraghavan | Dr G Arun Maiya | Science and Engineering | School of Natural Sciences | Exploring the healthcare applications of flexible graphene pressure sensors |
Contacts
The University of Manchester
Helen Lusty, International Relations
Email: International partnerships team
Manipal Academy of Higher Education
Dr Anup Naha, Director International Collaborations
Email: Anup
International Collaborations
Cc to: legal.mahe@manipal.edu
Other initiatives
Turing scheme
The Turing Scheme offers international placements for Postgraduate Research (PGR) students.
International partnerships
The University of Manchester fosters pioneering collaborations with organisations and institutions around the world.
We work with businesses, universities, policy makers and more to bring the benefits of our expertise to industry and society.
