The British Council invites UK and Mexican HEIs to apply for the TNE Exploratory Grants under the Going Global Partnerships programme. 

TNE Exploratory Grants support projects that address one or more of the following overarching objectives.

  • Contribute to long-term and sustainable institutional change that promotes a more inclusive access to high quality education through TNE.
  • Contribute to a better understanding of the local context and facilitate a regulatory and operational environment to best support TNE partnership.
  • Support TNE initiatives that promote positive changes in the local education systems, considering their context and needs, and creating a more inclusive and accessible international education environment that contributes to the SDGs.

  • Funding available: Up to £25,000 per project, with five grants expected to be awarded between Mexico and the UK
  • Duration of the fund: 17-month projects starting from January 2027
  • Deadline for submitting application: 06 July 2026

The partnerships must focus on one or more of the actions from the TNE strategy:

  • Action 1: Improve data and insights on UK TNE and its impact
  • Action 2: Promote UK TNE’s reputation for quality
  • Action 3: Inform policy development and support the growth of UK TNE in partner countries.
  • Action 4: Showcase the transformative power of UK TNE and its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 

  1. Strengthening higher education systems
  2. Supporting institutional capacity
  3. Contributing to learner-level benefits
  4. Promoting equitable and mutually beneficial internationalisation

  • Each proposal must include one UK HEI and one Mexican partner HEI, with degree awarding powers
  • Proposals must be prepared jointly by leaders from the institutions involved, and the UK Lead Institution must submit the proposal on behalf of the partnership
  • Partnerships may include associated partners such as NGOs, industry bodies, or government organisations

Key dates

Activity Date
Call opens 08 May 2026
Deadline for clarification questions submitted by applicants 08 June 2026
Application deadline  06 July 2026, Time: 11:59 AM (BST)
Results announcement  By the end of November 2026
Project launch January 2027
Project end date  31 May 2028
Final report submission  30 June 2028 

Clarifications

Queries related to the call must be submitted by 8 June 2026 at goingglobalpartnerships-TNE@britishcouncil.org (include ‘TNE Exploratory Grants 2026 – clarification question’ in the subject line)

How to apply

Application documentation is available to download below.

All applications must be submitted via our online grant platform (registration required) using the form 'Going Global Partnerships – multi-country - TNE Exploratory Grants 2026'

The online application can only be started and submitted by the lead UK institution. 

Once started, the form can be shared with partner institutions for their contribution. Any application started by a non-UK institution will be automatically ineligible. 

Apply here
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