View all news

IRP Scheme Launch: Bristol International Research Collaboration Activites (BIRCA)

22 November 2021

We are pleased to announce the launch of this new scheme which allows for international collaboration through a variety of different activities.

The BIRCA scheme represents a merging of the previous Bristol International Research Workshops scheme and Bristol International Online Research Collaboration Awards, allowing for a range of online and/or in-person activities in collaboration with international partners.

Bristol International Research Collaboration Activities (BIRCA) awards are designed to stimulate and support collaboration between the University of Bristol and international academic partners. Activities can either be virtual, in-person, or a combination thereof. Applicants can bid for a single activity or a small series, depending on what best serves their needs and delivers the greatest potential for enhancing the University of Bristol’s international partnerships and outputs. Some examples of suitable activities could include, for example:

  • A consultation with international stakeholders to inform user-driven research activity.
  • A forum designed to lead to influential policy briefing(s).
  • A brainstorming workshop to identify shared research questions and complementary expertise for future collaborative research bids.
  • A writing workshop to coordinate contributions to an output for publication.

These are just illustrative examples and other activities may also be suitable; please contact the International Research Partnerships (IRP) team (irp-admin@bristol.ac.uk) to check eligibility if you are unsure. All activities must be co-produced with international academic partners and must involve international partners in their delivery. Activities should be interactive events which involve two-way knowledge exchange, rather than dissemination events. This funding scheme is therefore not suitable for applications to support conferences. Activities can, however, be live-streamed and/or recorded for sharing publicly, where appropriate.

Applications will be reviewed on a monthly rolling basis until all available funds have been allocated. Applications can be submitted at any time; however, all funded activities must be completed by the end of the current academic year (31 July 2022).

The maximum value of a single activity is £3000; the maximum value for a series is £5000.

Please visit our BIRCA webpage for the full call specification details and the application form.