PSL Global Seed Fund: University’s seed fund for its international projects

To foster the emergence of international collaborations, Université PSL created the Global Seed Fund in 2023. Open to all disciplines, this scheme supports researchers and faculty members in the early stages of their projects: initiating new partnerships, exploring research opportunities, or preparing applications for more ambitious funding.

What is the Global Seed Fund?

The PSL Global Seed Fund (GSF) is a program launched in 2023 by Université PSL to encourage and support the international initiatives of its researchers and faculty members.

It provides seed funding aimed at initiating new international collaborations or preparing joint responses to larger, more structured funding calls.

Objectives

Support the early stages of a project in order to create favorable conditions for attracting more substantial funding

Foster the emergence of scientific and artistic collaborations with an international and educational dimension, likely to generate a lasting structuring effect.

Eligibility

The program is open to faculty members, researchers, and equivalent staff from PSL component schools and associate members.

The Global Seed Fund (GSF) is open to all topics, disciplines, and international partners.

Two funding rounds are held each year:

Spring (around April 15)

Autumn (around October 15)

Each round provides a total of €150,000.

The maximum funding per project is €12,000 with eligible expenses spread over one year.

Eligible activities

The GSF supports a wide variety of initiatives, including:

Organizing conferences, research seminars, workshops, artistic events, or summer/winter schools.

Exploratory or consolidation missions with identified or prospective international partners.

Research stays for doctoral or postdoctoral students.

Knowledge or expertise transfer activities to strengthen scientific skills.

Hosting an intern in a PSL laboratory.

Main evaluation criteria

Beyond the scientific quality of the project, evaluation considers mainly:

The ambition of the project and its short-term expected outcomes: what is the value of the project in terms of seed funding? E.g. application to other European and international funding; structuring or innovative effect of the proposed collaboration.

The involvement of several PSL institutions in the project, when relevant.

The added value of the collaboration for PSL. Does the project target a university whose complementarity and contribution – scientific, technical, or field access – are clearly highlighted in the proposal?

The involvement of early-career researchers (doctoral and postdoctoral students).

Co-funding: e.g. the project’s supported by one or more PSL institutions; it has matching funding provided by the international partner; or access to external funding.

Additional funding opportunities through our privileged partnerships

PSL shares the GSF call with its key international partners and circulates relevant projects to maximize funding possibilities. This includes universities such as Rice University, the University of Chicago, the University of California Berkeley, Université de Montréal and Polytechnique Montréal, University College of London, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, New York University, NTU Singapore, and NUS (National University of Singapore). Projects involving these partners may benefit from co-funding under contractual or ad-hoc arrangements.

How to apply?

Each call has its own dedicated page outlining any specific details to consider.

Applicants must submit their proposal via the dedicated platform when the call is open.

Selection procedure:

Projects are first reviewed by the GSF representatives designated by each institution, before being submitted to a jury composed of the Vice-Presidents for Research, Education, and International Relations and their teams.

Next call opens on October 7, 2025.

The winning projects from previous calls

Spring 2023

27 projets déposés, 12 projets lauréats

Project initiatior	PSL Schools	International Partners
SUN Fan	Chimie ParisTech-PSL	Massachusetts Institute of Technology – USA
FLEURY Nicolas	CNSAD-PSL	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – UK, Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art – Poland, Akademie für Darstellende Kunst Baden-Württemberg – Germany, Theaterakademie August Everding – Germany
TOUBAL Farid	Dauphine-PSL	Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich – Switzerland
ABIVEN Samuel	ENS-PSL	University of Arizona – USA, University of Idaho – USA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology – USA, University of Oxford – UK
BERTRAND Helene	ENS-PSL	National University of Singapore – Singapore, Nanyang Technological University – Singapore
BOUBENEC Yves	ENS-PSL	University of Rochester – USA
VIOLETTE Sophie	ENS-PSL	University of Iceland – Iceland
KEDZIERSKA-MANZON Agnieszka	EPHE-PSL	University of the Western Cape – South Africa, University of Limpopo – South Africa, University of Namibia – Namibia
MILLS Suzanne	EPHE-PSL	University of Glasgow – UK, Université de Montréal – Canada
CHIAPPETTA Giovanni	ESPCI-PSL	Karolinska Institut, Sweden
BARILLOT Emmanuel	Institut Curie	Heidelberg University, Heidelberg University Hospital – Germany
ZARCONE Roberta	ENSA Paris Malaquais-PSL	The American University in Cairo – Egypt, Université Française d’Égypte – Egypt, Megawra – Built Environment Collective – Egypt, Cairo University – Egypt

Autumn 2023

28 submitted projects, 16 selected

Project Initiator	PSL School	International Partners
MARGUIN-HAMON Elsa	Chartes - PSL	École de Bibliothécaires, Archivistes et Documentalistes (EBAD), Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar – Senegal
LAMPIS Michail	Dauphine - PSL	National Technical University of Athens – Greece
ASTRUC DELOR Clément	ENS - PSL	University of Tasmania – Australia
BAUMARD Nicolas	ENS - PSL	University of Tokyo – Japan
BOWLER Chris	ENS - PSL	University of Copenhangen – Denmark
NETTEL Daniel	ENS - PSL	University of Amsterdam – The Netherlands, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Leicester, Northumbria University – United Kingdom
RIFFARD Claire	ENS - PSL	Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar – Senegal
SALECKER Iris	ENS - PSL	Freie Universität Berlin – Germany
MOUTON Jean-Michel	EPHE - PSL	Lebanese University – Lebanon
PROVASI Joelle	EPHE - PSL	Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale Congolaise (FRMC), Université Marien Ngouabi, GERMESSCA au sein de la Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale Congolaise (FRMC) – Congo
VENTURE Olivier	EPHE - PSL	École Française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO) – France, Universität Hamburg – Germany
LABOUSSE Matthieu	ESPCI – PSL	Laboratory for Integrated Micro Mechatronic Systems (LIMMS), CNRS/INSIS & Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo – Japan
LENNON-DUMENIL Ana-Maria	Institut Curie	Fundación Ciencia & Vida – Chile, National University of Córdoba, CIBICI-CCT-CONICET – Argentina
SCOLARI Vittore	Institut Curie	Rice University – United States
ANGULO Jesus	Mines – PSL	New York University – United States
GESRET Alexandrine	Mines – PSL	Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, National Observatory of Athens – Greece

Spring 2024

36 submitted projects, 21 selected

Project Initiator	PSL School	International Partners
GRIVEAU Sophie	Chimie Paris – PSL	Imperial College London – United Kingdom
ALIZON Samuel	Collège de France	University of Baltimore – United States
DE VAUJANY François Xavier	Dauphine – PSL	NYU Stern School of Business – United States, University College London – United Kingdom
HERRERA ARAUJO Daniel	Dauphine – PSL	University of Southern Denmark – Denmark
HOFFMANN Marc	Dauphine – PSL	Università degli studi di Padova – Italy
THOMAS Arthur	Dauphine – PSL	Maastricht University – The Netherlands, University of Rome Tor Vergata – Italy, York University – Canada
ARCANGELI Margherita	ENS – PSL	Université de Genève – Switzerland, Umeå University - Sweden
BOUBENEC Yves	ENS – PSL	Johns Hopkins University – United States
BOURGEOIS GIRONDE Sacha	ENS – PSL	University of Chicago’s Paris Campus – United States
CAPELLE Jeane	ENS – PSL	Alanya University – Turkey
DAN Anca	ENS – PSL	Ilia State University – Georgia, Bridgewater State University, Maine Institute for Climate Change – United States, University of Cologne, University of Göttingen – Germany, University of Girona – Spain, University of Nottingham – United Kingdom
ROUX Sophie	ENS – PSL	Czech Academy of Sciences, Charles University – Czechia
DOUMS Claudie	EPHE – PSL	University of Arizona – United States
HABLOT Laurent	EPHE – PSL	Institut Arthur Piaget – Switzerland
STOKES Peter	EPHE – PSL	University of Tokyo, Keio University, Kyoto University, Kobe University – Japan
BEHNIA Kamran	ESPCI – PSL	Universidade de São Paulo – Brazil
MANDOUL Thierry	ENSA – PSL	CEPT University – India
VAJDA Joanne	ENSA – PSL	Archaeus Foundation, Université Politehnica Timișoara – Romania
ANDRIANESIS Panagiotis	Mines – PSL	Imperial College London – United Kingdom, Texas A&M University, Georgia Institute of Technology – United States
VAUBAILLON Jeremie	Observatoire – PSL	Ondřejov Observatory – Czechia, Comenius University Bratislava – Slovakia
REGMI Raju	Institut Curie	University of Freiburg – Germany

Autumn 2024

51 submitted projects, 24 selected

Project Initiator	PSL School	Project Title	International Partners
WIAME Frédéric	Chimie Paris – PSL	Growth and characterization of surface high entropy alloys	Aarhus University – Denmark
GASSER Gilles	Chimie Paris – PSL	Theranostic Agents for Imaging in the Near-Infrared-II Region and for Photodynamic Therapy	Hong Kong University – China
VARENNE Anne	Chimie Paris – PSL	CLARITY, Collaborative Laboratory for Advanced Reserach on Interactions for Theranostic TechnologY	UNAM – Mexico
GABRIEL Grégory	CNSAD – PSL	Partenariat CNSAD-PSL et Ecole Internationale d'acteurs-actrices de Dakar - EIAD (Sénégal)	Ecole Internationale d'Acteurs-Actrices de Dakar - Senegal
CALVO Thomas	Dauphine – PSL	Dynamiques de la criminalité, représentation politique et décision des ménages au Brésil	L’Université fédérale de Rio de Janeiro – Brasil
DAROLLES Serge	Dauphine – PSL	FAME - Financial Artificial Machine Intelligence	HEC Montréal – Canada
JOLIVET Vincent	Chartes – PSL	ODIL (Object Detection for ILluminations)	École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne – Switzerland, EHESS – France
GAUTHIER Christophe	Chartes – PSL	Patrimoine audiovisuel ukrainien: enjeux de conservation, d'étude et de diffusion	Ukrainian Catholic University, Université nationale Taras-Chevtchenko (Kiev), Université polytechnique de Lviv – Ukraine
PONCET Olivier	Chartes – PSL	Sources et francophonie Vietnam – France, approches connectées	EFEO Hanoï, Université de pédagogie de Hanoï, Université nationale du Vietnam, Archives nationales d’Etat du Vietnam – Vietnam
DIDIER Emmanuel	ENS – PSL	Reproduction, digital health technologies, and medical humanities	Rice University – United States
VIGNAL Leïla	ENS – PSL	Nouvelles compréhensions du monde (NCM)	Université Iba der Thiam, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar – Senegal, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Ouagadougou – Burkina Faso
RIFFARD Claire	ENS – PSL	Archives Senghor en open access, un défi franco-sénégalais	Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar – Senegal
SIRTORI Carlo	ENS – PSL	Light-matter interaction in quantum physique	Rice University – United States
WIRTH Thierry	EPHE – PSL	TUBIK	Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health of Harvard University – United States
WEILL-PAROT Nicolas	EPHE – PSL	Jalons pour une étude de la Physique au Moyen Âge tardif -- les commentaires de la Physique dans la Collectio Amploniana d'Erfurt	University of Oxford – United Kingdom, Universität Siegen – Germany
PLENCHETTE Stéphanie	EPHE – PSL	Workshop on Nitric Oxide and Cancer	UdeM – Canada, University of California Los Angeles, City University of New York (CUNY) – United States, University of Galway – Ireland, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla – Spain, Danish Cancer Institute – Denmark, University of Siena, University of Udine – Italy
MARGUERITE Arthur	ESPCI – PSL	Young Research Leaders in Topological Materials and Beyond	Rice University - United States
PEZET Sophie	ESPCI – PSL	Transdisciplinary exploration of the neurophysiology of hibernation using functional ultrasound imaging	Yale University – United States
BERTIN Aurélie	Institut Curie	Mechanisms of assembly of intercellular bridges during cell divison in somatic cells	Wellcome trust center for cell biology – United Kingdom
MERLE Candice	Institut Curie	Barcode-based lineage tracing coupled to single cell transcriptomics to reveal the cells of origin of metastasis and their interaction with the metastatic niche	Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Max Planck Gesellschaft – Germany
DUBLANCHET Pierre	Mines – PSL	Inverse problem in geomechanics	Sapienza Università di Roma – Italy, Tufts University - United States
MUNIESA Fabian	Mines – PSL	DEEP TRAP (Deep tech and the new cultural paradigm of entrapment)	University of Oxford – United Kingdom
SOUAMI Damya	Observatoire – PSL	Developing Deep Learning algorithms to study planetary rings	Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica (INAF IASF-MI) – Italy
HESTROFFER Daniel	Observatoire – PSL	Gaia-KMTNet synergy for new characterization of small solar system bodies.	Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute – South Korea

Spring 2025

49 submitted projects, 35 selected

Project Initiator	PSL School	Project Title	International Partners
LOUIS Stéphanie-Emmanuelle	Chartes – PSL	French-German CinEx Workshop	DFF - Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, Universität Paderborn – Germany, Fédération internationale des archives du film – Belgium
VASSEUR Edouard	Chartes – PSL	Archiver la ville: histoires et mémoires urbaines au Maroc	Ecole nationale d'architecture de Rabat, Archives du Maroc, Centre Jacques Berque, Association CASAMEMOIRE, Association MAMMA – Morocco, Réseau de recherche pour l'histoire de l'architecture au Maroc (RHAM) – France
CERATTI Davide Raffaele	Chimie Paris – PSL	The environmental cost of corrosion	Japan Society of Corrosion Engineering (JSCE), Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMSAT), Kyushu University, Kyoto Institute of Technology – Japan
SCHULZ Philip	Chimie Paris – PSL	Decoding the Interface: Guided Discovery of Next-Gen Photovoltaics (DECOY-PV)	Princeton University – United States
GABRIEL Grégory	CNSAD – PSL	Le dit du Genji : du XIe au XXIe siècle : projet de création théâtrale franco-japonaise	Nihon University, Shizuoka Performing Arts Center, Oshima Nô Theatre – Japan
TOUBALINE Sonia	Dauphine – PSL	Patrol routing optimisation based on predictive crime maps	University College – United Kingdom
BLANCHOT Fabien	Dauphine – PSL	Les intérêts croisés du cédant et du repreneur dans les entreprises artisanales en contexte d'incertitude : une navigation à travers la confiance	Université Saint Joseph de Beyrouth – Lebanon, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia - Brasil
BERGEOT Julien	Dauphine – PSL	Family spillovers of vaccination campaigns	University of Southern Denmark - Denmark
PERDRIX Elsa	Dauphine – PSL	New challenges for Aging Societies	Duke University - United States
RIMBAUD Claire	Dauphine – PSL	Self-Esteem and Rational Self-Handicapping	Tennessee Tech University – United States
TRIPIER Fabien	Dauphine – PSL	Macroeconomic Policies with Heterogeneous Agents	Stanford University – United States
DE VAUJANY François-Xavier	Dauphine – PSL	HIMO - Histoire de l'Institutionnalisation du Management et des Organisations	New York University (Stern School of Business), Cornell University – United States, University of São Paulo - Brasil
ARCHER Eleanor	Dauphine – PSL	Random trees for the Internet of Things	Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt – Austria
BERGAULT Philippe	Dauphine – PSL	Mathematical Models in Decentralized Finance	University of Oxford – United Kingdom
LOPEZ Fanny	ENSA – PSL	Radical Vernacular - Dwelling, Energy Sobriety, and Degrowth	University of Michigan – United States
KUHN Jeremy	ENS – PSL	MayaSign : Documenting autochthonous Mayan sign languages of Mesoamerica	University of Arizona – United States
SHO Tsuji	ENS – PSL	Building a Global Toolbox for Infant Language Assessment	Trinity College Dublin – Ireland, Technische Universität Braunschweig – Germany, ProChild – Portugal
CHABAUD Ulysse	ENS – PSL	Classical simulation of bosonic computations	Polytechnique Montréal – Canada
MENEGHELLO Gianluca	ENS – PSL	The Arctic-Atlantic Freshwater Budget: Bridging Observations and Theory	Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution – United States
ANCA Dan	ENS – PSL	Hebros: geo-bio-archaeology of a river frontier	Ephorate of Antiquities Hebros, Ephorate of Antiquities Rhodopi,French School of Athens, American School of Classical Studies – Greece, Universität zu Kiel, Universität Köln, Universität Göttingen – Germany, Institute of Archaeology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences – Bulgaria, University of Bucharest – Romania, University of Istanbul, Museum of Edirne, University of Kocaeli – Turkey
GUEROUI Zoher	ENS – PSL	Engineering Biomolecules and Cells for Health	Tokyo University, Riken Institute – Japan
LE RENARD Saba	ENS – PSL	Au-delà du trauma. Une archive sensible des vies post violences	Birkbeck, University of London – United Kingdom
SIMÉANT-GERMANOS Johanna	ENS – PSL	Mouvements sociaux en situations de régression démocratique. Expérience des mobilisations, circulations militantes et formes de la répression	Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul – Brasil
BRUNORI Luisa	ENS – PSL	HÉLÉA - History of European Law in Economic Affairs	Università degli Studi di Milano - Italy, Vrije Universiteit Brussels – Belgium, Universidad de Huelva – Spain
CHEVY Frédéric	ENS – PSL	A Tale of Two Quantum Cities - Ultracold Quantum Matter in New Haven and Paris	Yale university – United States
LEPOITEVIN Mathilde	ENS – PSL	MOF-based system for antibacterial and wound healing properties	CERENA - Centro de Recursos Naturais e Ambiente – Portugal
BUI Marc	EPHE – PSL	SAGEMED+	Université de Nouakchott – Mauritania, IFAO – Egypt
MONA Stefano	EPHE – PSL	Macroevolutionary dynamics of a conserved supergene (FIGARO) across the ant phylogeny	University of Edinburgh - Institute of Ecology and Evolution – United Kingdom
BRUMBERG-CHAUMONT Julie	EPHE – PSL	"Interlog nertwork" / "Réseau pour l'étude interdiscIiplinaire de la logique"	Université de l'Oregon, Université de Californie – United States
KEDZIERSKA MANZON Agnieszka	EPHE – PSL	Islam in Africa: anthropology, history, methods, and theory	Université de Gand – Belgium, Université de Bayreuth – Germany, Université de Floride – United States
VIACHESLAV Mazlin	ESPCI – PSL	Common-Path Interferometry for Translational Imaging: Bridging clinics and Cellular biology (COMIT)	Indiana University – United States
GINES Guillaume	ESPCI – PSL	Programming the self-organization of DNA-coated droplets in time and space with biochemical reaction networks	New York University – United States
THIÉVENAZ Virgile	ESPCI – PSL	Migration de suspensions granulaires entre des cylindres en rotation	New York University – United States
PIMENTA Vanessa	ESPCI – PSL	LICOM - Understanding Lithium diffusion in COFs and MOFs through solid state NMR	University of Aveiro – Portugal, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela – Spain
SCHERER Jean-Michel	Mines – PSL	ELIXIR — Evaluation of Lithium-Ion electrode degradation via X-ray tomography and electron diffraction Imaging for Resilient battery materials	University College London – United Kingdom

PSL Global Seed Fund: University’s seed fund for its international projects

What is the Global Seed Fund?

Objectives

Eligibility

Two funding rounds are held each year:

Eligible activities

Main evaluation criteria

Additional funding opportunities through our privileged partnerships

How to apply?

The winning projects from previous calls

Project initiatior

PSL Schools

International Partners

Project Initiator

PSL School

International Partners

Project Initiator

PSL School

International Partners

Project Initiator

PSL School

Project Title

International Partners

Project Initiator

PSL School

Project Title

International Partners