CIVICA Student Engagement Fund 2026/27

Applications are now open for LSE students to take part in the CIVICA Student Engagement Fund (SEF) project for the 2026/27 academic year.

Applications are open from 1 October - 10 November 2026 (at midday).

The CIVICA Student Engagement Fund provides funding for student-led projects that bring together participants from across the CIVICA alliance. Whether you want to organise a conference, workshop, hackathon, campaign, cultural initiative or digital project, the fund can help you turn your idea into reality.

By supporting collaboration between students at Europe's leading social sciences universities, the fund enables participants to build international networks, develop leadership skills, and contribute to solutions for the major challenges facing Europe today.

The Student Engagement Fund is a mini-grant funding scheme that supports collaborative projects involving students or early-stage researchers from at least two CIVICA member universities.

The fund encourages participants to:

• Develop innovative student-led initiatives
• Build international partnerships across Europe
• Strengthen the CIVICA student community
• Address societal, economic and environmental challenges
• Gain experience in project management and cross-cultural teamwork

Projects can take many forms, including:

• Conferences and seminars
• Workshops and training activities
• Hackathons and competitions
• Policy and research initiatives
• Cultural and community engagement projects
• Digital and multimedia projects
• Awareness campaigns and public engagement activities

Applications are welcome from:

• Current students at LSE and other CIVICA universities
• Early-stage researchers (ESRs)
• Student societies and associations
• Cross-university project teams

Projects must involve participants from at least two CIVICA member universities (LSE plus at least one other). Projects involving multiple CIVICA partners are especially encouraged.

Applying to the Student Engagement Fund offers a unique opportunity for students to:

Build an international network
Collaborate with students and researchers from leading universities across Europe.

Develop valuable skills
Gain practical experience in project design, leadership, budgeting and partnership working.

Make an impact
Deliver activities that benefit students and contribute to discussions on key societal issues.

Enhance your CV
Demonstrate initiative, project management and international collaboration experience to future employers.

Contribute to the CIVICA alliance
Help strengthen one of Europe's leading university alliances in the social sciences.

Successful applications typically:

• Demonstrate clear collaboration between CIVICA universities
• Deliver benefits to the wider student community and/or society
• Address contemporary European or global challenges
• Show clear objectives and achievable outcomes
• Include a realistic budget and delivery plan (including realistic timeframes)
• Create opportunities for knowledge exchange and intercultural learning and collaboration

Projects aligned with CIVICA's academic and societal priorities are particularly encouraged.

Step 1: Build your team
Identify students, researchers or student organisations from at least one other CIVICA university.

Step 2: Develop your project idea
Define your objectives, expected outcomes, timeline and budget.

Step 3: Obtain LSE pre-approval
Send your application to civica@lse.ac.uk for pre-approval from LSE’s internal CIVICA team.*

Step 4: Submit your application
Following pre-approval from the LSE CIVICA team, project teams should complete the official application form through the CIVICA platform before the deadline.

Further guidance, eligibility requirements and application documents can be found via the CIVICA website.

*Obtaining pre-approval is a mandatory requirement to apply for the Student Engagement Fund. Applications which do not have pre-approval from LSE's CIVICA Team will not be considered.

Previous CIVICA Student Engagement Fund projects

The fund has supported a diverse range of student-led initiatives, and projects with previous LSE participants have included:

• AI Governance Challenge
• Environmental Justice, Harm and Repair: Reimagining Transitional Justice's Relation to the Environment
• EU Regulations Game
• Higher Education 2.0: Navigating the Post Gen-AI World
• SustainabiliCITY
• At the Edge of Europe: Democracy in Estonia
• Inter-Collegiate Policy Summit
• Voices of CIVICA

Learn about these projects on this page.

Find further information, including FAQs and access the application form on this page. Applications are due by: 10 November 2026 at midday.