OpenUP Grant: Create, Share, Inspire

1. Break free from costly textbooks: If you’re frustrated with current textbooks, this grant allows you to create customised materials that fit your course without the high costs of publishing with traditional publishers. By developing OERs, you can make your materials openly accessible to all students, reducing financial burdens while enhancing flexibility and relevance in your teaching. This approach also encourages collaboration and resource-sharing among educators, improving the overall learning experience.
2. Collaboration with students: Students are eager to take an active role in developing learning materials, and this grant offers the perfect opportunity for them to do so. By incorporating student contributions—such as chapters, case studies, or examples—into open textbooks, we can together foster a collaborative learning environment, especially within UM’s Problem-Based Learning (PBL) framework. This process not only enhances students’ research, writing, and editing skills, but also strengthens teamwork and digital literacy. You can tailor projects to align with your course objectives, allowing students to engage in the research, creation, and production of open resources, resulting in a more dynamic and interactive learning experience.
3. Recognition for your work: Many of you might have already created valuable learning materials, but some may not be utilising them to their full potential. This grant provides an opportunity to licence these materials under a Creative Commons licence, attach a DOI, and publish them sustainably with support from the Maastricht University Press (MUP) on an OER dedicated repository, ensuring you receive the recognition you deserve! It’s time to ‘open up’ the materials you create because these deserve to be recognised!

The €5,000 grant is designed specifically to support the creation of high-quality Digital Open Learning Materials which must be used in a course as a learning material for the next few years.  The product of each project funded by the OpenUP Grant must result in one of the following:

Open (interactive) textbook:

You can use the grant to transform your existing notes, texts, presentations, and summaries into a comprehensive open (interactive) textbook.

If you’re not looking to create a full textbook, the grant can support you in compiling reading materials that complement an existing textbook or other course materials. This compilation will serve as a valuable supplementary resource for students.

The open (interactive) textbook or reading material compilations will be published with Maastricht University Press (MUP), the institutional publisher of Maastricht University. With MUP’s support, you’ll have access to a range of benefits that can significantly enhance the reach and impact of your work.

Collaborative open learning materials

As teaching staff, you can collaborate with your students in co-creating open learning materials, enriching their educational experience while developing valuable resources for future cohorts. This approach is particularly beneficial for niche courses with limited available materials, ensuring that both current and future students benefit from tailored, high-quality content that supports the course’s specific needs.

Imagine working together with your students on interactive online modules filled with quizzes, videos, and engaging activities that captivate their interest. Collaborating on learning guides can help simplify complex topics, while producing multimedia presentations, such as videos and podcasts, allows for creative expression. Together, you can compile digital portfolios to showcase their work and develop simulations and role-playing exercises that bring real-world applications to life. This collaborative approach not only enhances learning but also empowers students to take ownership of their education.

The Open Science in Education team from the University Library will support you throughout the granted project. With specialists available to guide you in using tools, assigning DOIs, licensing materials, and assisting applicants. Those who find writing a textbook daunting will be offered guidance and expertise throughout the publication process. You can feel confident in your ability to achieve your goal of publishing an open (interactive) textbook or collaborative open learning materials.

The OpenUP Grant is open to:

• Individual educators or course teams engaged in teaching at UM.
• Faculty members involved in the creation or redesign of a course or course module, such as a tutorial task.

Applicants must have an ongoing employment contract that covers the duration of the project and involve students in the co-creation process where possible.

Submit your project proposal by filling out the application form before 5 June 2026 (applications open on 18 May 2026), outlining your project, budget, and timeline. Your proposal will be reviewed by an expert panel from the Open Science in Education team. Successful applicants will be notified by the end of June.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Integration: How well will the open materials fit into your course or curriculum? Is it a new resource or a replacement for existing materials?
• Curriculum relevance: Preference will be given to projects integrated into core Bachelor’s or Master’s programmes, though optional courses will also be considered.
• Quality and feasibility: The clarity, alignment with course outcomes, and feasibility of your plan will be critical to success.

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The proposal can be based on a budget of max. €5.000. The money will be transferred to a budget number as communicated by the main applicant. The main applicant is fully and individually responsible for the budget allocation and budget management. Should the project benefit from additional financial resources, applicants are welcome to combine this grant with funding from e.g. the faculty or other external sources.

The funds for the grant can be used for:

1. Hiring support: Recruit student assistants, educational consultants, or multimedia specialists to help with content creation.
2. Creating multimedia resources: Use the grant to produce videos, interactive content, or other digital materials to enrich your textbook or reading compilation.
3. Expert review: Consider allocating up to 12% of the funds for peer review to ensure academic credibility and quality of your open (interactive textbook). Authors are encouraged to obtain feedback and validation on the publication and its content from their respected peers in their field.
4. Publication costs: Consider reserving 10% of the funding to meet additional operational expenses related to publishing with Maastricht University Press (MUP). This can include services such as hiring a proofreader or graphic designer. If you require extra support in refining your materials, you can allocate funds to engage third-party providers for proofreading or enhancing the presentation of your work before it is published.
5. Miscellaneous project costs: Printing, communication materials, or other relevant expenses.

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