Twenty emerging academics from ACU member universities across the Commonwealth will get the chance to broaden their horizons and develop their international contacts as the first recipients of grants from a new grant programme funded by the ACU.

100 Early Career Academic Grants are being awarded over the duration of the ACU’s centenary celebrations to enable early career academics who have not yet had the opportunity to work or study outside their own region to attend relevant conferences or academic meetings in other Commonwealth countries.

The programme ties in with an ACU focus on assisting member institutions in attracting, retaining and developing their early career academic staff.

Dr John Kirkland, Deputy Secretary General of the ACU, said: ‘Our Centenary celebrations, which are focused on looking to the future, are the perfect opportunity to make a practical contribution [to the development of academic careers]’.

The first twenty academics hail from the United Kingdom (6), South Africa (5), Pakistan (3), Nigeria (3), Bangladesh (2) and India (1).

Applications for the next tranche of grants will open later in 2013. Please check the Early Careers Academic Grants page for more information on the scheme.

The press release containing the full list of awardees can be found here.