Africa and Middle East Teaching Fund Initiative 2024-25

The Africa and Middle East Teaching Fund Initiative is now open for applications from UCL academics wishing to collaborate with higher education institutions across Africa and the Middle East.

The Africa and Middle East Teaching Fund Initiative is now open for applications from UCL academics wishing to collaborate with higher education institutions across Africa and Middle East. We encourage both virtual and face-to-face projects.

The funds aim to increase independent teaching capability and capacity in universities in Africa and the Middle East, while deepening UCL’s engagement with partner institutions in the region. The call invites applications from all academic fields with the potential to improve engagement with partners.

Purpose

• To support the increase of independent teaching capability and sharing of best practice in education between academics at UCL and partner institutions.
• To support initiatives that have the potential to gain traction for larger funding
• To kick-start a potential teaching collaboration.

Criteria

• Strength of the existing relationship or potential for advancing a new relationship with the partner. Applicants are encouraged to include a rationale and plan for how the partnership can potentially evolve into a sustainable collaboration.
• Longer-term impact including potential for future collaboration, bidirectional teaching and capacity enhancement or substantial funding applications. Applications where funding would facilitate or accelerate an ongoing opportunity are particularly welcome.
• The likelihood of achieving the intended outcome(s) and how this will contribute towards sustainable local solutions. Applicants are required to demonstrate that the proposed activity is locally relevant and driven and has strong buy-in from the partner.

Timeline

Examples of activity eligible for funding (this is not an exhaustive list):

• Delivering or developing an online module, MOOC, online short course or class overseas
• Running a virtual practical course overseas
• Series of webinars
• Offering virtual (or f2f) skills training for staff or students
• Virtual practical demonstration of activities with/without possible collaborations with scientific equipment manufacturers
• Designing video courses to demonstrate practical techniques, clinical techniques and/or diagnostic aids
• Creating an online audio textbook in collaboration with an expert overseas
• Running face-to-face group sessions, local restrictions permitting

Examples of eligible expenditure (this is not an exhaustive list):

• Room bookings + catering
• Travel, including local travel for overseas participants
• Paying an external speaker or expert for a course
• Paying trainers
• Equipment rental
• Software licensing (as part of the wider application)
• Paying for videography, communications, design etc

Value

You may apply for funding from £1000 to £3500, to be spent before 31 July 2025. There is no maximum duration of each activity. However, some of the time spent must be dedicated to teaching activities and some to teaching capacity and enhancement.

Eligibility

• UCL academic staff holding the position Teaching Fellow, Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader, Associate Professor or Professor (or the clinical equivalent) are eligible to apply.
• UCL researchers holding the position Research Associate and above are eligible to apply.
• Staff holding honorary positions and PhD students are not eligible.
• Principal Investigators from UCL should be aware of changes made to the 2024/25 GE Partner Fund process relating to the number of applications that can be submitted per Investigator across all calls, the number of awards that can be received, and eligibility for award holders from the 23/24 round. See further details in the information text box of the Partner Funds webpage here. 

Assessment

Proposals will be assessed by a selection panel from Global Engagement and academics from the network.

Contact

At UCL: 

Mustafa Sakr
Global Engagement Manager (Africa and the Middle East)
Email:  m.sakr@ucl.ac.uk 

Annie Brown
Global Engagement Officer
Email: a.m.brown@ucl.ac.uk

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