Reminder for submitting expressions of interest by UK HEIs to partner with the British Council for Arts distance learning platform

UK Higher Education Institutions are invited to submit proposals to partner with British Council India team to accredit and manage a Festivals Academy distancing learning platform. This platform is aimed at being a game-changer to strengthen increased international arts management and business skilling for India’s many arts and cultural festivals.

The Indian independent arts and festivals sector is burgeoning alongside the established large-scale public cultural festivals.  The emerging and established festivals scene cuts across varied genres and disciplines of arts and is a creative space for production of contemporary art forms for new audiences nationwide.

Challenges in strengthen learning in a digital age

Currently there are no Indian Higher Education Institutions that teach Arts Management or Culture Policy. This has been highlighted as a significant capacity gap in skilling and business reliance across the creative economy and arts festivals particularly.

British Council research into the creative industries skills in Mumbai in 2017 highlighted gaps in business management, marketing and audience development, financial planning and risk mitigation; international exposure and networks; and fundraising.

Mapping of arts and humanities subjects in HE in India confirms a range of subjects are taught at under- and postgraduate study including tangible and intangible heritage, fashion technology and sustainability; craft and design innovation, architecture and digital; and the performing arts. One Italian HE institution, Bocconi University, started a short international arts management course in Mumbai in 2019.

Across India arts and culture are increasingly consumed online with 93% of all music experienced on mobile devices. British Council has a series of highly regarded online platforms and apps for teaching English and skills.

British Council in India has run two editions of the Festivals Academy as face-to-face residencies. The impact of Covid-19 and global leadership in the UK HE sector for distance learning has precipitated this move to change the Festivals Academy model to online.

Purpose of the project

Through an iterative and phased approach develop a UK accredited online distance learning programme between India and the UK in Arts Management practice for Festival Managers and Arts Leaders in India.

The UK HE sector is acknowledged globally for expertise in Arts Management and International Culture Policy education established over the past two decades. New distance learning methodologies have been developed to enable wider international access the UK knowledge and arts management practice including short bespoke courses.

Objectives: British Council asks that the UK University:

1. Accredit the programme including design of the monitoring, evaluation and accreditation framework
2. Create a white label online platform
3. Partner with British Council agreed tutors during the pilot phase (2020-2021)
4. Broaden out the UK and India tutors following the pilot phase
5. Develop the arts management pedagogy from beginner level festivals to intermediate festival managers and advanced cultural leaders in the sector, with clear criteria for beginners, intermediate and advanced level recruitment and training
6. Develop the long-term strategy for the Festivals Academy including income generation
7. Partner with the British Council to strengthen the creative economy in India over the long-term through the Academy alumnus
8. Develop the delivery methodology from 100% digital at pilot stage (2020-2021) to a hybrid model 70/30 of digital and face to face (2021-2022)
9. Work within British Council policies and practice including but limited to mainstreaming Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion; and Safeguarding.
10. Develop a legacy programme with an India/UK HE sector partnership over the long-term
11. Submit a budget proposal for 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 please see the Proposed Approach deliverables

Costs and Resources

• Contract Financials
  • Phase 1
  • Phase 2
• The three tutors in India and UK were contracted for the Festivals Academy delivery in March 2020 that was cancelled. The trainees remain contracted for delivery of the first digital edition including IP regarding resources developed.
• UK HEIs are requested to submit an approximate budget proposal based on the TORs in the previous section towards the UK HEIs costs for this project.

Proposed approach and timelines

INTELECTUAL PROPERTY (IP)

• The Festivals Academy IP is British Council product. Ownership of the Festivals Academy IP to remain with the British Council with the UK University in partnership
• The white label model to assert the British Council and partner University shared brand values
• White label product development with British Council corporate branding.
• Ownership of the Festivals Academy curriculum IP to remain with the UK and Indian tutors during the pilot phase and for a period of 18 months to March 2022.

ACCREDITATION

• To work with one UK HE institution to develop an accredited distance learning module for the Festivals Academy
• To trial the online platform as an 8 - 10 weeks course in 2020-21

PEDAGOGY AND TRAINERS

• To work with the British Council’s contracted trainers in the UK and India to run the pilot online Festivals Academy and produce the learning resources and accreditation framework
• To support production of blended learning included live and recorded resources and tool-kits
• To develop innovative solutions in the digital space e.g. UK-India peer to peer festival mentorships and online curated festivals experience
• To offer an adaptable model which is responsive to cultural context e.g. volunteer and gig-workforce management and reactive to global trends e.g. health and safety in the wake of Covid-19
• 25 cohort of selected participants from the cancelled Kerala Festivals Academy invited to attend the pilot online course
• Theory and implementation pedagogy of arts management practice
• Blended approach of learning styles and methodologies to the pedagogy
• UK and India co-design and co-delivery

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

• To develop the online platform including scope to leverage income generation from fees following the pilot phase
• To develop a ‘white label’ product for British Council which could be extended beyond the India festivals programme with scope for the global network
• To develop the online business model including Marketing and Communications (price, product and platform)
• Research India HE for legacy partnership following Phase 1 and 2

UK HE CONTRACT

• Course accreditation for the pilot and subsequent courses
• Post Phase 1 Future UK HE delivery of the Festivals Academy online
• Secure India HE partner
• M&E HE contract framework
• The following areas out of scope of the Festivals Academy contract
  • UK HE institution tutors for Phase 1 edition online

Expression of Interest

Your EoI should cover the following points for your UK HEI:

• Interest in this opportunity and why.
• Experience aligned with Festival Academy objectives
• White label development proposal
• Accreditation framework
• Approach to Equalities, Diversity & Inclusion
• Outline M&E plan
• Outline Marketing & Communications Plan
• Project team
• Sample materials including partnership working
• Detailed budget for 2020-2021 & 2021-2022 inc income generation model

Please note that the EoI should have a maximum of 5 pages + detailed budget.

Selection Criteria