Utrecht Education Incentive Fund
How can teachers support students in developing their academic writing skills? How can we make the unwritten rules and values within education visible to students? And how can we improve the support provided to neurodiverse students and enhance the success and wellbeing of all students?
These are just some of the many questions to which the Utrecht Education Incentive Fund is helping to provide answers.
What is USO?
The Utrecht Education Incentive Fund (USO) is a UU fund focused on evidence-informed, teacher-led educational innovation. Teachers can submit their ideas for educational innovation and receive funding and guidance from USO to carry out their projects. Any UU teacher, from early-career to more experienced, can submit a USO proposal.
The USO was established in 2013 to promote the professional development of teacners and to encourage educational innovation. The Centre for Academic Teaching and Learning (CAT) coordinates USO funding, provides guidance on USO projects and issues calls for proposals.
What does a USO project look like?
A USO project is characterised by:
- Bottom-up educational innovation, initiated by teachers;
- A focus on improving the quality of teaching;
- An innovative approach or solution;
- Providing added value to teachers and students;
- Alignment with the Utrecht Education Model and the UU Strategic Plan;
- An evidence-informed approach:
- Building on existing knowledge: both practical knowledge (e.g. from previous innovations) and knowledge derived from research are utilised in the project;
- The systematic investigation and evaluation of the educational innovation;
- The dissemination of the project results.
How does USO work?
Every year, one million euros is made available for promising educational innovation projects. The fund supports two types of projects: faculty USO projects and interfaculty USO projects.
Interfaculty USO projects
Interfaculty USO projects are proposed and carried out by consortia comprising teachers from at least two or more faculties. These are larger projects with a duration of two to three years and a budget of between 85,000 and 200,000 euros. A call for proposals is issued annually, inviting applications. These proposals are assessed by a USO committee.
The CAT can provide support with the application and implementation of the project. Educational support can be obtained through the use of EMP hours.
Examples of interfaculty USO projects:
Faculty USO projects
Faculty USO projects are small-scale projects within a single faculty, with a duration of one year. The faculty itself determines the grants, and procedures vary from faculty to faculty. Educational support can also be obtained here through the use of EMP hours.
Examples of faculty USO projects:
- Improving feedback requests to foster feedback literacy
- Human-AI collaboration for Inclusive Science Communication
How to apply?
Faculty USO projects are small-scale in nature. Each faculty has its own procedures. Please contact your faculty contact person if you would like to find out more about the opportunities available within your faculty.
The interfaculty USO facilitates larger educational innovation projects involving at least two faculties. An interfaculty USO call is published every year in June. You can apply for this as a consortium leader or consortium member.
USO assessment committee
The assessment committee for interfaculty proposals comprises the following members: Marieke van der Schaaf (vz. GNK), Cornélie Westermann (DGK), Renske Bouwer (GW), Emma Versteegh (Bèta), Agnes Andeweg (UCU), Margien Bootsma (GEO), Martijn van der Meulen (REBO), Frans Prins (educationaal advisor), Willemijn Schot (educationaal advisor), Hjalmar Eijkelenkamp (process support) en Geertje Agricola (secretary).
In the Teaching and Learning Collection, you will find ongoing and completed USO projects, along with project descriptions and (preliminary) results.
Want to know more?
Would you like to know more about the Utrecht Education Incentive Fund? Please contact cat@uu.nl.