Opportunity
A Provincial-Government body in Chongqing is seeking UK universities (HEIs) with the capacity to design, deliver and manage a 6-month-long study and research programme for groups of Chinese university teachers from Chongqing. For 2017, two cohorts of selected universities teachers will be expected to go abroad for overseas study and research organised and supported by Chongqing Municipal Government. Each cohort will consist of 25 selected university teachers, with one cohort focusing on the subject area of Robots and Intelligent Equipment, and the other on E-Commerce and Cross-border Settlement. The first cohort is planned to be sent on March 2017, the second cohort to be sent on September 2017. The length of the study and research will be six months. The Chinese partner would welcome more top ranking universities from the UK, to provide quality training courses. In 2016, a cohort of teachers was sent to Singapore Nanyang Technological University.
Background
As part of the plan to support the dual first class university development, starting from 2016, the Chinese partner plans to send 200 key university teachers abroad to study and take trainings over the next five years.
- The principle of the selection is: "to select first-class teachers, send to first-class universities, and to follow first-class tutors".
- The selected participants are full-time university teachers of the core curriculum identified by the Chinese partner.
- The length of training programmes is to be six months.
- The scholars are sent in cohorts as visiting scholars.
- The location of the training will be decided by the Chinese partner according to the principle of "diverse countries, first-class universities, and strong disciplines".
Scope
- Objectives
The study programme aims to use international top ranking universities’ expertise and resources to help university teachers from Chinese universities in Chongqing to improve their teaching methodology, research capability and international communication skills.
- Programme elements
The 6-month programme should include course design and analysis, teaching methodology, and assessment of the selected subject areas (either Robots and Intelligent Equipment; or E-Commerce and Cross-border Settlement).
The teachers expected to participate in this programme will be those with good knowledge about their own subject content and with teaching experiences in local universities for a number of years. Their expectations are to learn how professors and faculties at the world-class universities prepare, teach and assess their courses.
- Participant profile
Each cohort consists of 25 university teachers who are selected based on the following criteria:
- Hold PhD degree or the title of associate professor
- Have more than two years’ experience as teachers with strong teaching ability and good knowledge of the subject areas
- Outstanding teaching and research performance with good development potential
- Good level of English proficiency
- Under the age of 45 years old
- Programme period
The study programmes should be six months in length, starting from March 2017 and September 2017.
- Budget
The budget the Chinese partner has set for overseas study programmes in Singapore is included here for reference: £8,000 - 10,000 per participant for three months (international air-tickets are not included).
Evaluation criteria
Responses will be assessed using the criteria and weightings below. A score will be given for each part of the information submitted that is to be assessed. The qualitative aspects of your response will be evaluated entirely on your response submitted.
Criteria | Weighting |
Study programme design and content | 40% |
Cost of the programme | 25% |
Professional capacities of the institution | 15% |
Project management capacity in an international context | 10% |
Understanding of China’s latest world-class university development | 10% |
Timeline
27 January 2017 | Deadline for expressions of interest (deadline extended) |
6 February 2017 | Feedback to be provided to UK institutions |
Please note, this timescale may be subject to change.
UK institutions interested in this opportunity are requested to complete the response form (see Appendix) and submit them to siem.china@britishcouncil.org.cn no later than 9.00 am (GMT) on 27 January 2017 (Friday) - deadline extended.
The following key points must be considered when responding: Your response should remain open for consideration for a period of 60 days.
- Any response valid for a shorter period may be rejected.
- Please submit forms in good time in case of technical issues - late applications will not be considered.
- Supporting evidence can be provided to substantiate your response. Please ensure that all attachments are clearly labelled with the appropriate question number.
- Please send attachment in PDF, JPG, PPT, Word or Excel formats only - other formats will not be accepted.
Please kindly note that the British Council will charge a 20 per cent management fee based on the tuition fee of the final programme. The management fee will cover frequent liaison between the UK provider and Chinese partner for facilitating the preparation of the programme and pre-training arrangements (e.g. pre-departure briefings, visa application and on-site support upon requests) as well as supporting a post-training follow-up and feedback report.
Please include the management fee in the quotation after all other costs have been accounted for.