Applications are now closed.
We are inviting UK and Australian Higher Education (HE) institutions are to put forward proposals for compelling activities or events to be delivered in Australia and/or digitally.
The HE programme is an opportunity for UK and Australian universities to focus on common interests and areas where there is substantial common ground, and to explore and identify ways in which cooperation and collaboration can be enhanced in order to achieve long-term mutual benefit.
Projects included in the Season must speak to and explore the core Season theme, Who Are We Now?, and the sub-themes of:
- Innovation: 4th industrial revolution, science and health, arts practice and creative industries
- Environment: collaboration on sustainability, climate, green growth, biodiversity, sci-communications
- Equality, diversity and inclusion: decolonisation, structural inequities in sectors, public engagement
- Cultural relations: ‘national identity’, soft power, future of cultural policy and international collaboration.
When is the Season happening?
The Season will take place from August 2021 to March 2022. The HE programme will be delivered in Australia and will run from September 2021 to March 2022.
All or part of the project must be presented in Australia between 1 September 2021 to 13 March 2022.
Who can apply to participate?
UK and Australian HE institutions are invited put forward proposals for compelling activities, events and happenings to be delivered in Australia and/or digitally.
What type of projects can be submitted?
We are looking for:
- thought-provoking public engagement events that will appeal to general audiences;
- interactive activities which will attract and inspire younger audiences;
- specialised events which bring together academics from the UK and Australia and which may result in new partnerships;
- Ideation events that seed new collaborative research projects and bring together early career researchers from the UK and Australia;
- showcasing existing joint projects which are interdisciplinary and/or which bring together the arts and sciences in an innovative way, and/or bring together participants from other sectors including the arts, government and industry;
- proposals that focus on key areas of common interest such as epidemiology; space; climate and the environment; gender and economic empowerment; diversity and inclusion; and innovation;
- proposals from any academic discipline or a combination of disciplines;
- Events which can be run face-to-face or digital and/or an innovative combination of the two. However, all proposals must have a contingency plan for how activity will be delivered digitally/remotely should the current Covid-19 crisis continue into the Season period.
In your application please notify us of any joint initiatives between UK and Australian HE institutions which are scheduled to be announced during the Season. This could include bilateral agreements, MoUs or the publication of joint research findings. We will use the Season platform to celebrate and raise the profile of these.
What funding is available?
Please note The British Council cannot provide funding for this element of the programme.
- COP26 grant funding
Limited funding will be available via small seed grants for projects focused on key climate and/or environmental challenges facing Official Development Assistance (ODA) eligible countries presented by UK and Australian universities in partnership with universities from one or more ODA eligible countries.Funds available for each project will be in the range of GBP10,000 to GBP25,000. Further details about how to apply and eligibility criteria are available to download from this webpage.
- British Council education application
The British Council cannot provide funding for this element of the programme.
How to submit
Applications are now closed.
Contact our team to discuss your specific requirements, email IHE@britishcouncil.org
Please note there are two application forms - available to download on this page.