ACU grants support early career academics

Press release – 4 December 2014

A new round of grants for early career academics seeking their first international collaboration has been announced by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) today. Over 40 Early Career Academic Grants, each of up to GBP 2000, will be available to staff at ACU member universities to attend a conference or visit a named colleague in another Commonwealth country. The grants are aimed at those who have not previously undertaken travel outside their home regions for academic purposes.

These grants form part of a growing programme of ACU activities focused on early career academic staff. In addition to direct grants, the ACU has been active in identifying the needs of early career researchers as part of the Nairobi Process, in collaboration with the British Academy. Other initiatives include the STARS project, working with universities in African countries to provide online training for researchers, and CIRCLE fellowships for early career academics in Africa working in the area of climate change, while the annual ACU Commonwealth Summer School provides new opportunities for postgraduate students to obtain their first international exposure.

According to ACU Deputy Secretary General Dr John Kirkland, the ACU’s strategic approach to supporting early careers has built on its earlier work in the area. ‘All the evidence is that proper support in the crucial first years of an academic career can be critical in determining future progress. Focusing efforts in this area is one way for an organisation such as the ACU to make a real difference.’

The deadline for applications for the Early Career Academic Grants is 22 February 2015. Travel should take place between June and December 2015.

Notes:

1. The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) is the world's first and oldest international university network, established in 1913. A UK-registered charity, the ACU has over 500 member institutions in developed and developing countries across the Commonwealth. For further information, visit www.acu.ac.uk
   
   
2. The Early Careers Academic Grants provide resources for applicants from ACU member universities to attend relevant conferences or academic meetings in another Commonwealth country. 100 grants worth £100,000 in total have been offered over the ACU’s Centenary period, funded by the ACU's endowment income. It is likely that further rounds will be available through a new five-year programme of support which will run from 2015. For further information, visit www.acu.ac.uk/early-careers-academic-grants
   
   
3. The ACU endowment supports mobility amongst Commonwealth university staff, through the Development Fellowships Fund. To date, the fund has supported fellowships – including the ACU Titular Fellowships – scholarships, and research and mobility grants. A new five-year package of grants for 2015-2019 will be launched next year – details will be available by mid-2015.
   
   
4. The Nairobi Process was a consultation, undertaken between 2007 and 2009 by the ACU and the British Academy, on the problems facing the African humanities and social sciences community, what could be done to strengthen research in these fields, and what the role of partnerships between African scholars and their colleagues in the UK or elsewhere might be. For further information, visit www.acu.ac.uk/focus-areas/early-careers/nairobi-process
   
   
5. The STARS (Structured Training for African Researchers) project is developing effective support mechanisms and online professional development training for early career academics. An online professional skills course is being piloted, backed up by individual mentoring. The project is funded by the Robert Bosch Stiftung. For further information, visit www.acu.ac.uk/stars
   
   
6. The CIRCLE project aims to develop the skills and research output of early career African researchers in the field of climate change and its local impacts on development. 100 CIRCLE visiting fellowships will be funded over three years. The project is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). For further information, visit www.acu.ac.uk/circle
   
   
7. The fifth ACU Commonwealth Summer School will be hosted by the University of Waterloo, Western University, and Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada, from 15-22 August 2015. The topic will be ‘Big data and the digital divide’. For further information, visit www.acu.ac.uk/summer-school
   
   
8. For further information, please contact: Natasha Lokhun, +44 (0)20 7380 6760, [email protected]