What type of activity is outside the scheme?
- The research must not have already taken place or be underway.
- The research output / final article must be in English (though there may also be a version in another language).
- Funding will only be agreed for a maximum initial period of one year.
- This scheme is not intended to fund the field work of Ph.D. candidates or similar.
- We define research as original investigation undertaken in order to gain knowledge and understanding.
- Researchers / institutions currently in receipt of a research award cannot apply for a new one. Recipients of awards will become eligible to submit research proposals when the research report has been accepted for publication by the British Council.
Examples of recent ELT Research Awards projects:
- How to survive the first year: Delivering online support to bridge the gap between pre-service training and in-service reality for novice English language teachers.
- Investigating global practices in teaching English to young learners: ten years on
- Language learning ‘in the wild’: Implications of children’s playing of online games in English for their language learning
- Why won't they speak English? An investigation into how young learners in middle-income-country schools learn spoken English
- Resilience and beyond: facilitating learning and well-being in the refugee language classroom - an inquiry-based study of ELT provision for refugees in a UK University of Sanctuary
- Oral peer feedback in classroom second language task-based interaction
- English language teachers’ engagement with published research: perceptions, priorities and pedagogy
How will an award be made?
A panel of ELT specialists will evaluate each proposal against a series of criteria. The Director of the programme at the British Council will make a final decision on how to allocate awards, taking into account the recommendations of the panel on each proposal, and the overall balance of the portfolio of awards. We may ask the advice of external experts on an in-confidence basis as part of the evaluation. We reserve the right to contact applicants to request or negotiate an amendment to any aspect of the proposal, including budget items, in order to best meet the objectives of the scheme.
What criteria will the British Council apply in judging whether to make an award?
- The potential impact of the research on ELT practice.
- The relevance of the project and research output to ELT professionals.
- The originality of the contribution to its field within ELT.
- The quality of the research design and the qualifications and experience of the researcher(s).
- The amount of funding requested and proportion of funding from other sources. We expect to favour proposals which demonstrate funding from other sources including but not restricted to, the applicant's own institution.
- The proposal’s contribution to the aims of the scheme, including international research collaboration where appropriate. We expect to favour applications which demonstrate an element of international collaboration.
What amount of award will be made?
- Awards may be made for amounts up to a maximum of 20K GBP.
- We will consider proposals in three tranches: up to 5K GBP; 5-10K GBP, and 10-20K GBP. Our intention is to encourage a wide range of new research and the total funds available are limited. We expect this will favour proposals at the lower levels of funding.
- We do not expect the partnership awards to cover the full costs of the research, but to fund essential elements of the research without which the research would not take place. Proposals should make clear how the other costs of the research will be funded. Proposers of jointly funded research must agree to the full conditions of the award (see below).
- The proposal must make clear what expenditure items the award will fund. The scheme will not fund items of equipment which institutions would normally be expected to possess (for example computing equipment including laptops). Nor will it fund conference or seminar attendance to disseminate findings unless specifically invited to do so by the British Council (see ‘dissemination’ below).
- Awards are generally paid in 2 tranches with 80% of the value to be paid upon the receipt of the fully signed contract and the remaining 20% or entitled balance (whichever is less) will be paid on receipt of a Final Article approved by the British Council for publication.
What are the conditions of the award?
- The successful proposers will own the intellectual property rights of the research output / final report and will licence these rights to the British Council to use and disseminate the research output / final report at its own discretion with no limitation on time or territory. This will be specified in the individual agreement.
- The proposer, institution, and researchers must explicitly acknowledge the support of the British Council through an ELT Research Partnership in any written or spoken dissemination of the research process and all outputs arising from it.
- The British Council reserves the right to make freely and publicly available information on the proposal form of successful proposals, any reports and research output.
- The British Council will inform applicants of whether the proposal is successful or not. The British Council is not obliged to enter into further discussions, or offer advice on proposals. The decision of the British Council regarding partnership awards is final.
- Successful proposers must satisfy the British Council that the expenditure has been incurred in accordance with the original proposal.
- Proposers must agree to the terms and conditions of the scheme, which will be outlined in detail in a grant letter to successful applicants.
What are the benefits of the award to the successful proposer?
- Financial support which enables the research to take place.
- Dissemination of the research by the British Council as an example of quality research from the UK with full acknowledgement of the researchers and their affiliated institutions.
- The right to refer to the research as funded by the British Council ELT Research Partnership scheme.
- Support with access to appropriate partners, teachers and learners overseas as agreed on a case by case basis.
How will the research be disseminated by the British Council?
- Publication as part of the British Council Research Papers series online.
- Opportunity to present a webinar through our website or online communities.
- Promotion of the report through British Council internal and external networks.
What is the time frame for the ELTRA scheme?
- Proposals must be received in by the British Council by Friday 6 March 2020
- Decision on awards will be communicated by 11 May 2020