Applications are now open for the ACU Higher Education & SDGs Challenge Grants to fund collaborative work around the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Open to professional and academic staff at ACU member universities, the grants focus on the following ACU Higher Education and the SDGs Network priority themes:
- Teaching and learning
- Research
- Estates and stewardship
- Engagement and impact
- Partnerships
From sourcing energy-saving and clean energy options for selected Fijian schools, to supporting women’s economic empowerment by addressing the financial literacy and gender-based disparities in access to finance – the grants have been used to fund a diverse range of activities, projects, workshops, and events. Applications could include ideas for:
- Virtual exchange or collaboration, teaching or professional practice collaboration, sharing and co-development of learning materials, tools, training and approaches to support contingency and continuity of operations planning at Higher Education Institution’s (HEI’s)
- Virtual fellowships, comparative analyses, research management and uptake capacity building
- Integrating sustainable development into operations
- Sharing SDG learning content and materials
- Developing SDG-focused research strategies
- Co-creating research for impact, community engagement, and partnerships for the goals
Grant
- Four grants of GBP 2,500 are available.
How to Apply for ACU Higher Education & SDGs Challenge Grants 2022.
To apply, you will need to:
- Supply an outline of the project and a detailed time plan, including what it will involve and how it will address the Higher Education and the SDGs Network’s themes. The project time plan is requested for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 12 months.
- Submit a letter of support from the Executive Head or equivalent of your institution to demonstrate their support for the programme of work proposed and the ways they will provide support for your project. The letter of support also acts as a reference for the project lead.
- You will also need to attach the project lead’s CV.
Grant applications that allow matching or additional funds from the applicant’s institution will be looked upon favourably but it is also not essential.
Applications will be assessed on the following criteria:
- Project goals and feasibility
- Impact and outputs
- Experience and skills of the project lead and institution support
- Alignment with the themes of the Higher Education and the SDGs Network
- Collaboration
