01 Dec 2025 | 2:17 pm

The Technician Commitment Collaboration Fund 2026

The Technician Commitment has been a collaborative endeavour since its inception. This ethos has been echoed and reflected in the biannual signatory events as well as by the number of collaborative partnerships that have arisen because of the Technician Commitment in the past seven years.

To further support this culture of collaboration, the Technician Commitment team are pleased to launch a sixth round of the Technician Commitment Collaboration Fund.

The Collaboration Fund is a small grants scheme designed to enable collaborative projects between Technician Commitment signatory institutions and external partners that advance the aims of the Technician Commitment.

The scheme is open to all Technician Commitment signatory institutions. Funding is awarded on a competitive basis. We invite submissions in the range of £100–1000 which support the creation of collaborative opportunities such as joint workshops, shared training, development of shared materials, facilitation of work placements, exchanges, seminars or conference-style activity.

Criteria

Projects must take place between 1 April 2026 and 31 December 2026.
Applications must demonstrate how the proposed project will advance one or more of the key pillars of the Technician Commitment: Visibility, Recognition, Career Development and Sustainability.
If the project is planned to continue past 31 December 2026, applications should evidence how the proposed activity will be sustainable beyond the initial funding period.
The collaboration must be with a UK-based partner external to your organisation.
The organisation that applies for funding must be a Technician Commitment signatory. The collaborating external organisation(s) does not need to be a signatory.
Applications will not be accepted if you applied for the previous round of funding (December 2024–February 2025 submission window).
Successful applicants will be asked to produce a short project report outlining the activity undertaken and the outputs, outcomes and impact. You may be invited to present at a future Technician Commitment signatory event or technician-focussed conference.

Duration

The application window runs from 1 December 2025–9 February 2026.

Scope of the Fund

Collaborations can take many forms, and the Technician Commitment team welcomes new and innovative approaches.
The panel will consider any reasonable costs, if justified.

Application Process

Please complete the application form by 9 February 2026.
Any member of staff from a signatory organisation can apply to the Collaboration Fund but they must submit a letter of support from the Technician Commitment Lead(s) in addition to completing the application form. This should be emailed to tc@itss.org.uk.
Applications will be reviewed by a panel comprised of members of the Technician Commitment team and external advisors.
Outcomes will be communicated in March 2026.

Additional Requirements

On completion of the project, successful applicants will be asked to produce a short report outlining the activity undertaken and the outputs, outcomes and impact.

Support

The Technician Commitment team are very happy to discuss ideas for the Collaboration Fund to help you shape your application. If you would like some support in developing your ideas or would like more information, please contact Clare Stevenson at tc@itss.org.uk.