Association of Commonwealth Universities ACU Grant: Apply Today

The Association of Commonwealth Universities is offering the Early Career ACU Grant for all its staff members in order to support collaborative work around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The ACU Grant is a GBP 10,000 award for professional and academic members of the organization to be used to fund a diverse range of activities, projects, workshops, and events.

In this post, we will discuss the full details of the grant including its eligibility criteria, benefits, and step-by-step application process.

Association of Commonwealth Universities ACU Grant Summary

• Host: Association of Commonwealth Universities
• Category: Fellowships
• Eligible Countries: All Countries
• Reward: £10,000
• No IELTS Required 
• Deadline: June 2, 2024

Association of Commonwealth Universities ACU Grant Details:

Higher Education and the SDGs Network Grants fund collaborative work around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Open to professional and academic staff at ACU member universities, the grants focus on the priority themes of the ACU Higher Education and the SDGs Network:

• Engagement and impact
• Estates and stewardship
• Partnerships
• Research
• Teaching and learning

From sourcing energy-saving and clean energy options for Fijian schools, to supporting women’s economic empowerment by addressing the financial literacy and gender-based disparities in access to finance – the grants have been used to fund a diverse range of activities, projects, workshops, and events.

Eligibility Requirements for ACU Grant

To be considered for the Association of Commonwealth Universities Grant, you must:

• Be a staff member at an ACU member university.  
• Review the FAQs/Application Guidance.
• Submit an application through the online application form. 

Applicants cannot: 

• Be from a university that has previously received an ACU Higher Education and the SDGs Network Grant. Please check our grantees pages below to see if this applies to your university. 

Benefits of ACU Grant 2024

The ACU Grant will award four grants of up to GBP 2,500 to successful members

Required Documents for ACU Grant 2024

Applicants will be required to provide the following information in the application form: 

• Outline of the project and a detailed time plan, including:
  • What the project will involve.
  • How the project will address the Higher Education and the SDGs Network’s themes.  
  • The project time plan should be for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 12 months.  
• Letter of support from the Executive Head or equivalent, or other senior member of the applicant’s institution, demonstrating:
  • Support for the programme of work proposed.  
  • The ways they will provide support for your project.  
  • This letter of support will also act as a reference for the project lead.  
• CV of project lead. 

More Details About ACU Grant 2024

Applicants are encouraged to:

• Collaborate with other ACU member universities or other organisations such as local governments, to promote further Commonwealth partnerships. This will be looked on favourably.
• Consider matching or additional funding from their own university as part of the application. This will be looked on favourably, but is not essential. 

Applications could include ideas for: 

• Virtual exchange or collaboration, teaching or professional practice collaboration. Sharing and co-development of learning materials, tools, training and approaches to support contingency and continuity of operations planning at higher education institutions (HEIs).
• Virtual fellowships, comparative analyses, research management and uptake capacity-building.
• Integrating sustainable development into operations.
• Sharing SDG learning content and materials. 
• Developing SDG-focused research strategies.
• Co-creating research for impact, community engagement, and partnerships for the goals. 

How to Apply for ACU Grant 2024 (Step by Step)

To apply for the ACU Grant 2024, interested and qualified applicants should;

• click on the button below to visit the ACU application webpage
• click on JOIN US if you are not a member of the ACU 
• If you already have a MyACU account, you can access the grant application form here.
• If you do not already have a MyACU account, please ensure that you first register for an account here and then follow the instructions in the registration email to log in to the system before accessing the application form.