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Mat Wright

Call for proposals 

The British Council Vietnam is calling for proposals from UK and Vietnam higher education institutions and organisations to develop foundation education, research and innovation links between the UK and Vietnam and to expand the Vietnam UK higher education network. 

Application deadline is extended to 12.08.2016

INTRODUCTION

The Higher Education Partnership (HEP) fund is an initiative of the British Council Vietnam to enhance education, research and innovation links between the UK and Vietnam. There have been 24 projects funded under HEP and similar sources of funding from 2013 with total value of £383,271 and equivalent matching fund from partners.

AIM

The ultimate aim of the HEP is to capitalise on the UK world-class in teaching, learning, innovation and research capabilities to contribute to the enhancement of education, research and innovation in higher education in Vietnam.

The fund this year is to provide seed funding for UK Vietnam foundation partnerships in the format and key areas of priorities as in the sections below.

PARTNERSHIP FORMAT

The HEP would support for partnerships in the forms of:

1. Education Policy reform should support and facilitate the Vietnamese Higher Education Reform Agenda (HERA) and the internationalisation of Vietnam and UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). 

2. Transnational Education i.e. the delivery of education across borders, and can take various forms:

  • Delivery of UK education through foreign campuses
  • Delivery of UK qualifications through partnerships with foreign institutions
  • UK academics delivering training in foreign institutions

3. Development of R&D collaboration should focus on very specific areas that match UK comparative advantage with Vietnam development needs

4. Industry engagement 

AREAS OF PRIORITIES

Key areas of priorities in 2016–2017 include:

  • University governance and autonomy
  • Quality assurance
  • Graduate employability

ELIGIBILITY OF APPLICANTS

UK higher education institutions, Vietnamese higher education institutions, research institutes, businesses and industries in Vietnam and the UK, are eligible to apply for this fund. 

The involvement of government and/or businesses/industries from either country in the proposed project and consortium application involving more than two partners will be an added value for the proposal. 

FUNDING

The fund available under this call is worth £30,000. Applicants may bid for maximum of £15,000 of this fund.

Applicants are required to meet a minimum of 50 per cent of the total project budget in the form of cash match funding which should be transferred into the British Council account for administration of match funder’s commitment. 

The cash matching fund is the contribution from applicant’s institution to the project in order to assure the result and the sustainability of the project. This is NOT the income of the British Council. The full amount of the fund (50 per cent from the British Council and 50 per cent matching fund) is to be used for the project implementation.

ASSESSMENT

Each proposal will be considered by an assessment panel whose role will be to score projects against the assessment criteria, using an agreed scoring scheme. 

The main criteria for evaluation of the applications will be:

  • the involvement of both UK and Vietnam HEIs in the project
  • the extent to which the proposal meets the expectation of the call in terms of aims, format, priorities and eligibility
  • the promise for an exciting, innovative and impactful project
  • the potential of the partnership to have impact beyond the participating organisations
  • the potential of sustainability of the partnership beyond the funding period
  • the number of people who will be influenced and reached by this partnership during the project’s lifetime
  • the support by senior staff from all the organisations involved in the application
  • the proposed grant management arrangements
  • the involvement of government and/or businesses/industries from either country in the proposed project and consortium application involving more than two partners as an added value
  • the commitment of 50 per cent of the total project budget in the form of cash match funding.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for funding can be submitted by the partner from either the education or business sector. Applications should clearly indicate the lead partner and fund allocation by activity with clear time-tables.

Applicants are required to complete a concept note form and submit this to the British Council. If the applicants’ concept note is successful, they will be notified to develop full proposals. In the case of consortia bidding, the proposal should be submitted by the ‘lead applicant’.  

Proposals will be assessed following the timeline as specified.

IMPORTANT TIMELINE

 

01.07.2016 Calls for proposals sent out
12.08.2016 Submission of concept note
19.08.2016 Concept note assessment and notification of full proposal submission
09.09.2016 Submission of full proposal
16.09.2016 Notification of acceptance and agreement
19.09.2016 Matching fund and Initial grants of budget issued and partnerships start
03.01.2017 Interim report submitted to the British Council for consideration of release of the remaining grant 
30.06.2017 End-of-project report submitted to the British Council

SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

Concept notes and full proposals should be emailed by no later than the deadlines specified above to: 

Phi Phan
Higher Education Manager (Partnerships)
T: +84 (0)8 3823 2862 (ext. 2500)
Phi.Phan@britishcouncil.org.vn     

IMPORTANT FORMS

  • Form 1 – HEP 2016 – Concept note application form (see the download section)
  • Form 2 – HEP 2016 – Full proposal application form (see the download section)
  • Form 3 – HEP 2016 – Interim report template (see the download section)
  • Form 4 – HEP 2016 – End-of-project report template (see the download section)

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION POLICY

Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our cultural relations ambitions. They contribute to the mutual trust, respect and understanding we strive for on behalf of the UK. Our equality policy commits us to ensure that there is no unjustified discrimination in people on the basis of age, gender, disability, religion and belief, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and work-life balance. All projects undertaken by lead and implementing partners must not contravene this policy.