Gender Equality Partnerships supports higher and further education collaborations between the UK and other countries to address priority gender equality themes.

Since 2021, the project has supported 120 institutions in the UK and around the world to support change at the institutional and systemic level.  

For 2024–25, Gender Equality Partnerships is supporting partnerships between the UK and the following countries:

• Bangladesh
• Brazil
• Egypt
• Ghana
• Jordan
• Kenya
• Nigeria
• South Africa
• Ukraine
• Vietnam.

Overall objectives

Gender Equality Partnerships aims to build partnerships and drive systemic change in four key areas.

• The prevention of violence against women and girls with a particular focus on higher and further education institutions as safe spaces for women 
• Addressing women’s underrepresentation in higher and further education leadership 
• Enabling access and tackling subject segregation, particularly in the area of STEM (including encouraging STEM-related learning).  
• Strengthening pathways into employment for women graduates from further and higher education.

Partnership activities

Gender Equality Partnerships activities can be in any discipline or cross-discipline, and should respond to country needs. Please note that partnerships with some countries may focus on specific thematic priority areas relevant to their context (check the Guidance Notes document below)   

Possible activities can include:

• developing or strengthening gender equality policies and/or strategies at an institutional or departmental level. 
• initiatives to research and address barriers to career progression among women in higher and further education including technical staff, researchers, teaching and management.   
• initiatives to improve employment outcomes for women and girls
• developing policies and processes for prevention and response to gender-based violence. 
• initiatives to support access and progression of girls and women in STEM.

Key details

Grant amount: £25,000

Grant length: 12 months, starting 1 January 2025

Application deadline: 16 September, 23.59 BST

Process: joint applications between a lead institution in the UK and a lead institution in the partner country, to be submitted by the UK institution

Open to: UK higher education institutions, not-for-profit research institutions and public or private organisations with a role in the technical and vocational education training/further education system.

Check the Guidance Notes below for eligibility per partner country.