UK-China Partnership Innovation Challenge Fund GSK Pharmacoeconomics Grant Introduction

The British Council UK-China Partnership Innovation Challenge Fund is an initiative of the British Council China to enhance education links between the UK and China. It will provide seed-funding for UK institutions to partner with China in developing innovative ideas that contribute to the public good and create opportunities for individuals, while delivering real benefit to the UK education sector.

The GSK Pharmacoeconomics Grant is a new challenge fund designed to support UK-China educational collaborations in the healthcare sector. Co-developed by GSK and the British Council, the fund will support knowledge transfer between the two countries, seek out innovation, and nurture sustainable partnerships. Funding is provided by GSK and administered by the British Council China.

The bidding for the fund is now open to UK organisations and institutions involved in international education who are interested in this opportunity. The necessary application documents are attached to this guidance note.

Strategic objectives

China's healthcare sector is currently going through a period of reform, with broad-ranging plans to increase the overall scale of the Chinese healthcare system, standardise training and increase the level of private and overseas investment. These reforms will take China in directions where the UK already has strong experience. One such area is pharmacoeconomics, the scientific study to evaluate the cost and effects of a pharmaceutical product, which serves to guide optimal healthcare resource allocation.

This challenge fund will provide seed-funding for UK institutions to partner with China to develop an initiative in the field of pharmacoeconomics that:

• contributes to the public good and supports China to better meet its healthcare challenges
• creates significant impact and brings lasting benefits to individuals
• delivers benefits (educational and commercial) to the UK education and healthcare sectors.

Grant

A grant of £80,000 will be awarded, which should cover the whole project duration. The project in receipt of the funding will be expected to start in December 2016 and run for a maximum of two years (until December 2018). Only one project will be selected and funded.
Proposed budgets should be inclusive of all activities required to fully achieve the project’s stated goals, including dissemination and translation activities. Administration costs of the selected institutions must be incorporated into the original project budget and should aim to be no more than 5% of the overall budget. Payments will be made in instalments.

Who can apply?
The grant is open to all UK organisations involved in international education, including: - higher education institutions - research institutes - organisations involved in education or health policy
- private organisations offering education services and/or products (private organisations not offering education services and/or products must partner with an education institution). Private organisations who apply must be recognised by relevant UK or Chinese authorities.