Grassroots+ grant

Did you develop a promising ICT application through an education grant? Take the next step with Grassroots+. This grant helps you explore how your innovation can make an impact beyond your own course or programme. With a budget and educational support, you can further develop, test and implement your project on a broader scale. Build on your innovation and help it grow across the UvA with a Grassroots+ grant.

The application round for Grassroots+ 26-27 runs from 1 December 2026 until 30 January 2027.

Criteria

We will use the following criteria when assessing and selecting applications:

• Your idea builds upon a previously implemented grant project that has yielded demonstrable and promising results. Examples include: reducing the workload of lecturers; encouraging students to reflect on or apply course material in a more active or interactive way; students applying their knowledge in innovative ways; or making it easier to provide more feedback to lecturers and/or students.
• Your project is cross-disciplinary and has broader applicability within the UvA.
• An interest in exploring literature on similar case studies is an advantage.
• You convincingly demonstrate the project’s feasibility through a clear project proposal that explicitly outlines the activities, methods, timeline, budget, and potential risks.
• Please note: If you are applying as a student, a lecturer must be involved in the project.

Procedure

• You can apply for a Grassroots+ grant each year.
• The results will be announced in mid-March.
• If you are awarded a grant, you are expected to attend:
  • the Innovation Festival on Thursday 1 April 2027, 15:00 – 17:00. At this event, both new grant holders and those who have completed their projects pitch their plans or results to one another;
  • the Innovation Community Drinks, on 30 September 2027, 15:00 – 17:30h.
• You will receive support with the content and process of your project throughout its duration.
• During your final evaluation, content will be collected for a one-off blog post about your project.

• What can I use the grant for?
  You can use the budget for costs that contribute directly to your Grassroots+ project. Examples include:
  • hiring a student assistant;
  • attending an event to gain knowledge, such as a symposium;
  • IT resources.

Please note: the grant cannot be used to extend an employment contract or to fund activities or resources that are already covered by regular faculty funding. If you are unsure whether an expense fits within your project, please contact Esther van Schaik in advance.

• Can I submit a proposal together with others?
  We encourage collaboration. Grant holders can learn a great deal from one another, and we encourage people working on the same teaching innovation to connect. This means that not every lecturer or degree programme has to reinvent the wheel. Lecturers can therefore submit a proposal together. The requested budget is linked to the number of courses and/or degree programmes in which the innovation will be implemented. This gives you more funding to work with and allows you to pool your efforts.
• How are the proposals evaluated?
  The selection committee consists of the chair of the DLO board, the head of IM, the domain lead for Education ICTS, and the chair of the UCO.
• How is the grant funding transferred?
  Grant funding is transferred to the WBS number of the degree programme or faculty. Costs associated with the Grassroots+ project can be charged to this number. Please note: students can claim their expenses using the ‘staff not in employment’ expense claim form.