Inventory of initiatives

The Gaza Virtual Campus is a digital platform developed by UNESCO in collaboration with Palestinian universities. Its main objective is to ensure the continuity of higher education, even when university buildings are inaccessible.
The first phase was designed to reach 20,000 university students and it did so in October 2026. The aim is to extend the service to all 88,000 university students in Gaza.

The Temporary Learning Spaces are temporary physical spaces created to enable students to continue studying despite thedestruction of universities and the daily difficulties they face.
According to UNESCO updates from 2026, the network includes five university learning spaces, created in collaboration with Palestinian universities, and located in Gaza City (3); Deir Al Balah (1) and Khan Younis (1).

Applications for field-based research that contributes to Palestinian Studies in the following fields: Arts, humanities, social sciences, public health, and environmental studies. Eligible applicants: Palestinian doctoral students, PhD holders, and certain established researchers withsubstantial publication records. The research must be located in Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, or Lebanon

The main and long term objective of the Bridge is to foster collaboration between researchers in Quebec and their counterparts in Palestine (especially early-career researchers) through staff/ faculty exchange, and other mobility programs. These programs will provide an opportunity to integrate Palestinian researchers into FRQ-funded research projects and its network of national and international partners, and their research funding programs, which will allow them to carry out their scientific research projects in collaboration with researchers in Quebec.

A periodic call is issued by the FRQ to all universities and research centers in Quebec. The call seeks to identify Canadian researchers who are interested in engaging in collaborative research with Palestinian counterparts. They are requested to propose preferred research themes/topics. A call is issued for Palestinian university faculty inviting them to reach out for the relevant potential Canadian counterpart. They are expected to develop a joint research roadmap that would be considered for support by the PQSB. The selection process is undertaken by a scientific committee and is overseen by the Steering committee.

Faculty 18 will serve as an institutional and academic platform to raise awareness about the Palestinian people, as well as a permanent link with the Palestinian university system, starting with the three public universities in the Gaza Strip (Islamic University of Gaza, Al-Azhar University, Al-Aqsa University). It will also act as an institutional umbrella for all the actions already being carried out, such as the UB Refugi programme, the BASE project and others within the framework of the Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED). The initiative is being promoted in coordination with the municipal government.

Architects for Gaza is a global volunteer collective of built-environment professionals, architects, and academics focused on spatial justice, community-led reconstruction, and urban resilience in Gaza. Core initiatives include: Supporting community ownership so residents can rebuild homes and neighborhoods using local and cultural skills rather than relying solely on top-down international agency shelters; the Gaza Global University – A hybrid virtual and physical academic initiative offering free, credit-bearing courses and lectures in architecture, IT, and medicine for displaced Palestinian students; Organisation of reconstruction design competitions, material-recycling experimental labs, and international advocacy campaigns.

The aim is to preserve and advance Palestinian research, scholarship, and academic freedom while countering scholasticide and censorship. Based on mutual aid and mutual learning, the project pairs Gazan scholars with international scholars who share overlapping research interests. Partnerships last for an initial period of six months, focusing on the specific priorities, plans, and goals defined by the Gazan participants.

Services and open access resources from the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford to support scholars and students from Palestinian Universities in, or displaced from, Gaza and the West Bank.

The aim of NorPal is to mobilize and coordinate academic resources in Norway in support of higher education and research in Palestina. The consortium includes also cooperation with universities and higher education institutions on the West Bank, with the aim of contributing to a robust and stable higher education sector in Palestine.

The PAUSE Programme is a French government-supported initiative that helps researchers, academicsand artists who are at risk in their home countries continue their work in France. It was established in 2017and is managed by the Collège de France.

Scholars at Risk works with an international university network to seek temporary research and teaching positions for academics whose lives, freedom, or academic work are threatened.

The ACSS supports social science and humanities research across the Arab region, and its official records include Palestinian researchers and Palestine-focused research projects among its grant recipients.
1. Small Grants Program (SGP)
Deadline: 1 November 2026- Funding: Up to US$3,000.
– Who: Individual researchers up to three years after their PhD, and PhD students in advanced stages of their studies.
– Focus: Social sciences and humanities research on the Arab region, under the current theme Constantine Zurayk: Nation, Identity, and History.
Palestinian researchers may be eligible, subject to the full criteria. This is a regional grant, not a Palestine-only scheme.
2. Research Grants Program (RGP)
– Who: Established researchers from the Arab region.
– Focus: Larger interdisciplinary research projects addressing major regional issues.
– Palestinian participation: Previous recipients include Palestinian researchers and teams conducting research on Palestine.
3. Scholars Collaborative Grants Program
This program supports researchers with a PhD and an established research record. Its eligibility criteria explicitly include Arab citizens, certain refugees and stateless people from Arab countries, and people originally from Arab countries who hold another passport

Sapienza allocated Euros 252,000 funding for 28 grants of 9,000 euros each for a period of 90 days. The call for applications is aimed at lecturers, researchers and experts with proven scientific qualifications from universities, institutions or research bodies in the 35 countries spanning all continents, as set out in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation’s three-year planning and policy document for development cooperation policy 2024-2026. 46.4% of the grants available, amounting to €117,000.00 and comprising 13 grants, will be reserved for researchers from institutions based in the countries listed in the ‘Medio Oriente’ section of the table included in the call for applications. Of the 13 scholarships allocated to West Asia, 7 will be reserved for scholars from Palestine.To foster the mobility of researchers from countries at risk or in emergency conditions, the possible exposure of visiting professors to risk will be evaluated alongside the usual criteria relating to experience, authority, research objectives, teaching activities and expected results.
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The Philipp Schwartz Initiative enables universities and research institutions in Germany to host researchers at risk on the basis of a full fellowship. Accordingly, host institutions receive funding which is composed of two components.

The University of Padua in Italy advertises a hosting arrangement with IIE-SRF involving fellowships of up to 12 months

IIE-SRF supports threatened professors, researchers, and public intellectuals by arranging fellowships at host universities

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers a scholarship programme, “Bridge Scholarships for Palestinians in Germany“. This programme is open to Palestinians students and researchers who are in Germany and not able to return to their home country due to the current situation. The funds are offered by the German Federal Foreign Service. The estimated duration of minimum 3 months and maximum 6 months. It is open to Bachelor’s or Master’s graduates; doctoral graduates; assistant professors.

The 2026 scholarship covers the cost of tuition, accommodation in a single occupant en-suite room in University halls of residence and a maintenance award of £5,000.

Initiative that offers a postdoctoral research opportunity for academics in Palestine to undertake an 18-month visiting fellowship at a UK university. Delivered in partnership with the Council for At-Risk Academics (Cara),
Fellows are expected to maintain strong links with their home institutions throughout the fellowship and to return equipped with enhanced research expertise, international partnerships, and new knowledge that can benefit their departments, students, and wider academic communities.

GMAF Palestine was launched in 2024 as a two-year pilot for early- to mid-career Palestinian scholars, currently either living in Palestine or recently displaced, to continue their work during a semester at MIT. The GMAF Palestine faculty committee is working to expand opportunities beyond the 10 pilot fellows. Once the pilot is over, future iterations will be considered.

Virtual residency program for scholars whose academic work has been disrupted by the war in Gaza. The program supports up to nine Palestinian scholars, providing each with a $2,000 CDN honorarium to assist them in continuing their research and establishing scholarly connections with the UAlberta community.
Applications in all disciplines and at all career stages.

An expanded virtual-fellowship model building on earlier St Andrews–Gaza collaboration. The programme offers three positions to Palestinian scholars based in Gaza and affiliated with public higher-education institutions there. Fellows are integrated into research groups and can participate in seminars, teaching-related activities and public engagement while developing their own academic output. The programme also aims to contribute to sustainable institutional partnerships with Gaza’s universities

The Virtual Scholar Scheme refers to an initiative implemented by the University of Exeter’s Supporting Higher Education in Gaza Working Group, in the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. The scheme has been set up to provide scholars who are currently or were previously based in Gaza, with an affiliation to a department in the faculty, including access to University of Exeter online resources (e.g. Library access), to support with their research activity. Scholars will be able to join online events and integrate with the academic community where possible.

Cara’s Palestine Virtual Fellowship Scheme is a one-year research Fellowship that aims to connect Palestinian academics and UK Universities in a structured programme of research partnership and academic exchange. Working together with 7 leading UK Universities, this pilot programme aims to contribute to strengthening resilience in Palestinian Higher Education by enabling the continuation of scholarly activity through peer support and partnership. 14 Virtual Fellowships in total are open in the following universities:

Newcastle University – all areas
University of Sussex – all areas
The Open University – all areas
University of Glasgow – all areas
University of Edinburgh – all areas
University of Cambridge – Business and Education only
University of Bristol – Education and Medical Sciences only.