Open call for TNE Exploratory Grants

The Going Global Partnerships TNE Exploratory grant will support higher education institutions to become more international and raise their quality education in a more inclusive way.

Objectives 

• All TNE Exploratory awards will address one or more of the following overarching objectives and priority themes:
  • contribute to long-term and sustainable institutional change that promotes a more inclusive access to high quality education through TNE.
  • stimulate innovative approaches to addressing barriers to TNE in higher education institutions in the UK and partner countries.
  • support TNE initiatives that promote positive changes in the local education systems, considering their context and needs, and creating a more inclusive and accessible international education environment that contributes to the SDGs.

Themes

• The fund will prioritise partnerships that focus on one or more of the priority themes from the TNE strategy:
  • Creating an enabling environment for TNE in other countries and strengthening the quality of TNE.
  • Contributing to the removal of barriers to TNE and supporting or creating new opportunities.
  • Supporting TNE to contribute to the transformation of local education systems and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Funding Information

• The TNE Exploratory grant expects to support 14 projects of between £20,000 and £25,000 in value each, for 12 months, starting from January 2025.

Outcomes

• The Going Global Partnerships programme is looking for joint projects designed to achieve some of the following outcomes:
  • New TNE partnerships
  • Improved understanding and access to relevant education markets (international awareness) to enable TNE.
  • Increased scale and effectiveness of UK TNE and joint teaching programmes including digital delivery.
  • An improved legal and policy environment supporting inclusive TNE.
  • New or improved curricula (course and extra-curricular based), teaching practice and materials for TNE courses, including those that support inclusion and equality and challenge gender stereotypes.
  • Improved understanding and awareness of barriers to TNE at individual and institutional levels.
  • Improved TNE policy and quality indices and quality assurance mechanisms and indices are addressed through a gendered and EDI lens.
  • Increased access to opportunities for women and other minority groups through TNE.
  • TNE barriers and imbalances in tertiary education and wider society addressed through insight, research and dialogue, resources and capacity strengthening.
  • Increased awareness and efforts to build safe, inclusive and non-hostile TNE learning environments.

Eligibility Criteria

• Each proposal must have both:
  • one Lead institution from the overseas country; and
  • one Lead institution from the UK
  • The proposal must be prepared jointly by leads from both institutions but submitted by the Lead from the UK Institution.
• Overseas lead institution must be one of the following:
  • A Higher Education provider, as locally defined
• The partnership can include in their proposals Associated Partners (from both the overseas county and the UK) affiliated with:
  • Higher Education providers
  • Not-for-profit research institutions, establishment and organisations
  • TVET/FE providers
  • Other education organisations/charities/foundations/membership bodies
  • Not-for-profit organisations, including Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)
  • For-profit/commercial organisations, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
  • Branch and satellite campuses of UK Higher Education providers
  • Government organisations
  • Employer organisations and industry bodies
• For-profit non-education organisations are not eligible to receive any grant funds, except to cover travel-associated costs.

For more information, visit British Council.