The British Council is commissioning a series of showcase projects, action research projects and research studies in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that will contribute to establishing a more significant body of evidence to support the case for digitalisation in higher education in the region. Funding of between £15,000 and £40,000 is available for successful applications.

About this opportunity

Eligible institutions and consultants are invited to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) which will highlight the scope of the project, the applicant's suitability for funding, and their experience in developing policy guidance, operational strategies and practices of how digital higher education can be effectively and sustainably adopted. It is envisaged that successful applicants will deliver the majority (90%) of the agreed outputs before 31 March 2021.

There are three possible work strands for applicants to consider:

• Policy and strategy: digital related policy and strategy for university leaders and policy makers
• Digital literacy: skills and competencies of academics, professional services and university leaders
• Digital content, tools and platforms: development of content, tools and platforms; open access resources

Applications will be assessed on innovative and compelling approaches to capturing evidence of digitalisation.

Who can apply?

Institutions or consultants that want to submit an EOI should:

• be based in the UK, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa or Ghana
• have field knowledge of working in the area of digitalisation and/or have demonstrable knowledge of working in SSA
• have demonstrable knowledge and experience in project delivery

Note: emphasis for these projects is not on the technological aspects of digitalisation. Our interest lies in uncovering evidence of human and social interactions as well as economic and socio-political approaches to analysis.

How to apply

Refer to all documents in the Downloads section below and submit all completed documentation to Dr Liz Dempsey at Liz.Dempsey@britishcouncil.org.

Deadline Closing date for Expressions of Interest is 6 November 2020.