UK Higher Education Institutions are invited to share Expressions of Interest to suggest experts, academics and speakers for the British Council’s GREAT Talks Series 2022-23 in India, presented as part of India/UK Together a Season of Culture.

The GREAT Campaign is the UK government’s initiative to promote the UK internationally as a GREAT place to visit, study and do business. The British Council India is a partner in the GREAT campaign and through it we are raising awareness and promoting the UK’s strengths in education.

India/UK Together Season of Culture 2022 will mark the deep connections and 75th anniversary of India’s independence with a landmark programme that strengthens the friendship and vibrant cultural bonds of both countries, while addressing shared global challenges.

GREAT Talks are a lecture series of celebrated UK professionals from diverse areas such as climate change, literature, environment, design and creative industries and it is organised and curated by the British Council across several cities in India. The speaker engages in conversation with local experts, academics and professionals to bring across a rounded perspective in partnerships across academia, research & innovation and mobility.

Who do the GREAT Talks engage?

  • The Talks reach and engage students, young people, teachers, faculties, and researchers
  • The Talks also seek participation from faculty and senior leadership at Indian higher education institutions to engage in discussions and conversations with UK experts and academics
  • The Talks are designed to reach large communities of students and young people through digital media, live streaming and broadcasting.

The GREAT talks this year are designed in both face-to-face and virtual formats as per themes below. Please note the dates below are flexible though we would like to stick to the months suggested. We require speakers for the below though the overall programme has other activities.

Theme

Date

Mode of Delivery

Young Minds for a Compassionate World.

Wildlife preservation and climate change. - UK Climate Change expert in conversation with Indian climate experts and activists on how young people can affect change in a fast- transforming world.

Thursday 3 November

 

Virtual

Communities of Choice: Postcolonialism, decolonial theory and the self

A GREAT Talk and discussion on Decolonising the Self and the Nation for students and researchers, exploring texts, literary theories ideas in both countries

Friday 2 December

Virtual

Waste Land by TS Eliot

Modern English Literature in India

A GREAT Talks lecture and discussion on Modern Literature by UK academic and expert for school and college students.

 

Wednesday 14 December

Virtual

International Publishing Fellowships: Journey of the book

GREAT Talks lecture with historical publishing narratives exploring the UK’s literary culture while delving into the dualities found in India’s Chitpur or College Street in Kolkata or Delhi’s Nayi Sadak etc.

Tuesday 18 January

Virtual

Future Fantastic: AI for good – from classroom to workplace

A demonstration of the latest innovations in AI that bring positive changes in the world around us.

Practical demonstrations, masterclasses and discussions with school and college students in India.

Thursday 9 February

F2F

 

Why participate?

This is an excellent opportunity for UK HEIs to influence and build their brand and network across large audiences in India across tier 1,2 and 3 cities, with professionals, young people, students, faculty, researchers and more. In the past GREAT lectures have engaged audiences 200 to1200, depending on the topic and the capacity of the venue.

  • With the shift to the virtual format, participation has consistently been in the range of 500 to 1000 attendees per lecture, with further post-lecture engagement achieving an average of 250 video views. While the series primarily focusses on the audience in India, the lectures have been attaining a global reach through our digital platforms.
  • In the physical format, audience sizes for the GREAT lectures have ranged from 150 to 200, depending on the topic and the capacity of the venue.
  • The lectures are designed to inspire students and professionals on UK’s world class education system and research. The sessions will reach out to students across socio-economic sections of society and will engage them to think about and discuss global challenges. They will learn about the UK’s contribution in research and academia in these themes.
  • UK HEIs can suggest speaker names for a maximum of 2 themes and the British Council will be choosing speakers with a proven track record of delivering engaging sessions across a wide range of audiences (students, academics, public). The British Council’s decision will be final on the speaker selection.
  • We will expect the Speaker to consent to being recorded, for further dissemination of the lectures across appropriate digital channels. Web links for previous similar talks/sessions will be helpful to evaluate.
  • For F2F sessions, costs towards local hospitality in India and International and domestic airfare (economy class), local transport, accommodation and meals will be arranged and paid by the British Council.
  • The deadline for applications is 14 October 2022 Interested institutions to submit expressions of interest by filling MS Form

To allow maximum UK HEIs to participate in this and thereby showcase the variety across UK’s higher education sector, each UK HEI may sign up for only two themes.

If you have any queries about this event, please contact Megha Sharma at  Megha.sharma3@britishcouncil.org