British Council supports the capacity development of researchers in developing countries and facilitates excellent research and innovation partnerships to help tackle development challenges.

Researcher Links

• Researcher Links travel grants provide financial support for early career researchers so that they can spend one month or longer abroad. The travel grants are designed to enhance and strengthen links for future collaboration, build research capacity in developing economies and enhance the researchers’ career opportunities. Early career researchers, within 10 years of receiving their PhD, can apply.
• Researcher Links Workshop Grants are designed to provide financial support to bring together a UK/partner country bilateral cohort of early career researchers to take part in workshops to meet the overarching objectives.

Research Environment Links

A grant mechanism designed to run peer-to-peer capacity building projects for strengthening of research environments in a way that is relevant to local-scale challenges.

Institutional Links

Institutional Links grants facilitate research that tackles local development challenges such as extreme weather conditions, access to affordable health care, food and energy security. Institutional Links grants range from £30,000 to £300,000 over 1-2 years.

Newton PHD programmes

The aim of these programmes is to facilitate the capacity building of individuals and the building of sustainable, long-lasting links between UK and overseas institutions through scholarships, placements and partnerships.

PhD Scholarships: Funding for students to undertake full PhD studies in UK or vice versa.

PhD Placements: Funding for PhD students to spend a period of their study (up to 1 year) in the UK or vice versa.

Professional Development and Engagement (PDE)

British Council PDE programmes aim to support the research and innovation environment and enable optimal impact from research, shaped by the demands and development priorities of the partner country. The programme supports and develops skills and expertise in global higher education, connecting UK and international experts through capacity building grants and strategic projects.

Newton Fund Impact Scheme

The Newton Fund Impact Scheme is delivered by the British Council in partnership with UKRI. The scheme is designed to provide previous and current Newton award holders with the opportunity to unlock further impact from their work in a way that strengthens the profile of the Fund. The intention is that Newton Fund Impact Scheme grants add tangible value to the investment already made by partner funders and the UK.