Respected Sirs,
Greetings from the International Office!
I am directed to bring to your kind attention about a funding opportunity under the SPRITE+ Global Partners Programme, which may be of strong interest to the distinguished eligible researchers of COMSATS University Islamabad for developing joint research proposals with eligible UK partnering institutions.
Under this programme, UK-based SPRITE+ members are invited to submit joint Expressions of Interest (EOIs) in collaboration with researchers from low- and middle-income economies, including Pakistan. Accordingly, CUI faculty members may participate as overseas research partners in collaboration with UK SPRITE+ academics. The programme aims to initiate new international research collaborations through short, exploratory projects addressing context-specific challenges in digital TIPS, particularly in developing and emerging digital economies.
Areas of Interest
Faculty members working in the following (indicative and non-exhaustive) areas are encouraged to explore collaboration under this call:
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Cybersecurity; Cybersecurity Policy; Network Security; Threat Intelligence; IoT Security
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Artificial Intelligence (AI); Machine Learning; Quantum Computing
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Digital Trust; Digital Identity; Trust and Secure Identity; Trust Verification; Zero-Knowledge Proofs
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Privacy; Child Privacy; Privacy-Preserving Technologies; Online Safety; Digital Literacy
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Digital Transformation; IT Capabilities; Cloud Computing; Databases; Software Systems
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Software Engineering; Requirements Engineering; Usability; Empirical Methods
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Digital Forensics; Deepfake Detection; Forgery Detection; Fake News Detection, Debunking, and Fact-Checking
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Signal Processing; Wireless Communication
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Cyber-Physical Systems Security; Security and Reliability; Maturity Models
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Backdoor, Model Inference, Poisoning, and Byzantine Attacks on Federated Learning Networks
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Fintech Adoption; Digital Trust; Financial Inclusion; Security, Identity, and Financial Inclusion
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Cybersecurity and Sustainability Accounting; Financial and Management Accounting
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Corporate Governance; Public Governance; Corporate and Public Finance; Accounting Disclosures
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Economics of Trust; Behavioral Economics in Public Administration
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Trust in Algorithmic Decision-Making; Secure Information Sharing
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Gamified Learning Platforms
Key Highlights
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Funding: Up to £20,000 per project (80% funded by SPRITE+), primarily supporting UK partner travel; additional funding is available for overseas partners’ visits to the UK.
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Expected Outputs: In-person collaboration meetings, a white paper/report, media articles, and/or development of joint grant proposals.
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Eligibility: UK SPRITE+ members (as lead applicants) in partnership with researchers from eligible low- and middle-income countries.
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Deadline: 31 January 2026
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Submission: EOIs must be submitted by the UK SPRITE+ lead to spriteplus@manchester.ac.uk.
How to Submit Expression of Interest
In view of the above, it is kindly requested that this opportunity may please be introduced among eligible faculty members in your respective Faculties/Departments through your good offices to facilitate identification of potential CUI researchers for availing the opportunity and initiation of discussions with suitable UK SPRITE+ partners well before the deadline.