NICE funding

Details of current funding opportunities for research projects are available below.

Please note we are not currently accepting applications and will resume NICE in 2025. Thank you for your interest.

Networking, Impact and Collaboration Enrichment (NICE)

We invite academic staff across all faculties at The University of Manchester to apply for Networking, Impact & Collaboration Enrichment (NICE) contributions of up to £2,000 for projects with a focus on China.

We expect to contribute to the costs of networking and knowledge exchange events led by the successful applicant. Please note that we cannot contribute to the costs of research and research support or assistance.

Supported projects will be of international and interdisciplinary nature, and of interest to academic and non-academic audiences alike.

Although this is an open call, we expect projects to demonstrate engagement and clear links with the Manchester 2020 Strategic Plan and the UN Sustainable Development Agenda and its Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, we also welcome proposals for projects that critically explore the Chinese Government's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its various implications.

We operate two application rounds per year with the following deadlines:

  • 29 February (for activities taking place before 31 July);
  • 15 July (for activities taking place after 1 August).

To apply, please download and complete the application form (Word, 328KB), and email this to confucius@manchester.ac.uk with 'Networking, Impact & Collaboration Enrichment (NICE) application' as the subject before 5pm on the day of the deadline.

Please note:

  • supported activities should be based in Manchester and all marketing and publicity material must acknowledge the contribution provided by the Confucius Institute;
  • successful applicants will deliver a project report one month after the project end date and further agree to deliver a public talk about their research as part of the Confucius Institute public talk series.

If you wish to discuss your project informally, please contact the Director of the Confucius Institute, Dr Deljana Iossifova (deljana.iossifova@manchester.ac.uk), in the first instance.

You can read about previous projects supported by the NICE fund below.

2018 projects