Awards will support partnerships between eligible UK institutions and partner institutions in one or more participating countries, Algeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, Nepal, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, and Viet Nam. The proposal must be prepared jointly by leads from both institutions but submitted by the Lead from the UK Institution except for UK - Thailand partnerships, which must be submitted by the Lead Thai Institution.

Objectives

• TNE Exploratory Grants support projects that address one or more of the following overarching objectives:
  • Contribute to long-term and sustainable institutional change that promotes a more inclusive access to high quality education through TNE.
  • Contribute to a better understanding of the local context and facilitate a regulatory and operational environment to best support TNE partnerships.
  • 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 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Aims

• Develop new TNE joint projects between UK and the partner country, or build on existing partnerships and insights from previous round of TNE grants.
• Co-create curricula relevant to the countries’ needs and/or deliver a pilot joint teaching that will contribute to increase both partner institutions’ degrees or professional qualifications quality.
• Develop one or more forms of TNE, including dual, double and joint degrees (the models of TNE as well as topic areas may vary according to the partner country involved).
• Work together towards the recognition of UK degrees, including online and blended learning programmes. This could include the design and facilitation of policy dialogues to enhance the regulatory framework and quality assurance of TNE and degree recognition.
• Encourage the diversification of UK TNE provision by addressing barriers to academic and research qualifications.
• Develop courses that can enhance employability skills and prospects.
• Widen access to tertiary education for disadvantaged, less privileged and excluded individuals and communities.
• Promote TNE through focus themes of shared interest relating to the SDGs.

Focus Areas

• Enabling research – supporting research, knowledge and innovation collaborations to address local and global challenges and promote inclusive growth.
• Internationalising higher education and TVET – supporting systems, institutions and individuals to benefit from internationalisation, including enabling transnational education and system alignment.
• Strengthening systems and institutions – improving the quality and efficiency of higher education and TVET institutions and systems.
• Enhancing learner outcomes – addressing the qualities of the global graduate, including soft skills, employability and community outcomes.
• Increasing equality, diversity and inclusion – making higher education and TVET more accessible, equitable and accountable.

Funding Information

• The TNE Exploratory grant expects to support 34 projects of up to £25,000 in value each, for 17 months, starting from January 2026.

Eligible Costs

• Travel: Travel (economy class) and subsistence costs to the UK/partner country, visa fees, vaccinations, quarantine costs (not exceeding GBP800 per person for 14 days), medical insurance, and roaming charges during travel essential to the project, to the UK and partner country.
• Local travel in the UK and overseas (public transport to and from the airport and for meetings/visits is encouraged where possible).
• Reasonable accommodation and subsistence costs for staff when visiting their partner organisation in the UK or overseas.
• Reasonable hospitality costs (excluding self-entertaining costs).
• Reasonable production costs (such as for the development of materials but excluding time spent by staff in relation thereto).
• Consultancy fee (for external procurement and up to 20% of the total project costs).

Ineligible Costs

• Promotional activities solely concerned with the recruitment of overseas students.
• Institutional overheads including administration fees and other indirect costs.
• Costs associated with Master’s and PhD scholarships (including stipends).
• Purchase or rental of standard office equipment (except specialist equipment essential to the research). This includes IT hardware – laptops, personal computers, tablets, smartphones, Mac workstations, computer parts and peripherals, etc. Any standard hardware routinely used by researchers and academics will not be funded.
• Office software and office equipment including desks, chairs, filing cabinets, photocopiers, printers, and fax machines.
• Mobile phone costs including rental or purchase, and monthly phone bills.
• IP costs, patent, copyright, licensing, or other IP-related costs.

Expected Outcomes

• New TNE partnerships.
• Improved understanding and access to relevant education environments (international awareness) to enable TNE.
• Increased scale and effectiveness of UK TNE and joint teaching programmes including digital delivery.
• 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 underrepresented/minority groups through TNE.
• An improved legal and policy environment supporting inclusive TNE.

Eligibility Criteria

• Each proposal must have both:
  • One Lead institution from one of the participating overseas country;
  • One Lead institution from the UK.
  • The proposal must be prepared jointly by leaders from both institutions but submitted by the Lead from the UK Institution except for UK - Thailand partnerships, which must be submitted by the Lead Thai Institution.
• UK lead institution must be one of the following:
  • Higher Education provider with degree awarding powers.
• Overseas lead institution must be one of the following:
  • Higher Education provider, as locally defined
  • Not-for-profit research institutions, establishments and organisations, as locally defined
  • TVET/FE 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, including any branch or satellite campuses
  • 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)
  • Government organisations
  • Employer organisations and industry bodies
  • Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Social Enterprise organisations

For more information, visit British Council.