Gender Grants are awarded annually to staff at member universities to support initiatives that will boost gender equity and equality on campus. To date, the grants have funded a wide range of impactful projects including a network to support the career development of emerging female academics, and a mobile app to combat sexual and gender-based violence on campus.

Grants of up to GBP 1000 each are available. A Gender Grant could help your university to meet the costs of a diverse range of initiatives, workshops, and events in areas such as:

• Supporting women in leadership, science and research
• Raising awareness of sexual harassment and developing anti-sexual harassment initiatives
• Creating effective institutional policies
• Mainstreaming gender equity into the curriculum

Deadline: 4 October at 23:59 UTC

We are delighted to announce that the next ACU Ambassadors Summit – Creating and assessing research impact – will be held on 7 October 2021. The summit will provide an opportunity to hear expert insight on assessing the wider impact of your university's research on society.

All ACU Ambassadors are invited to attend this summit. We are also inviting members of the Supporting Research Community and Higher Education and the SDGs Network.

Deadline to register: 24 September at 23:59

Most theories on research leadership focus on the context of high-income countries, with comparatively little research on leadership in middle- and low-income countries. In response to this knowledge gap, the Wellcome Trust commissioned research on pathways to leadership across Africa and in India, to find out how these may vary and to better understand how diverse research ecosystems can support the development of excellent leaders.

Join us for our webinar on 23 September to discover insights from the research project, and learn more about the qualities that make a good research leader in diverse contexts. We encourage attendance from academics across the ACU membership, and particularly from colleagues interested in developing future leaders or becoming research leaders themselves.

The ACU provides a range of funding opportunities to enable university staff and students to pursue world-class research and innovation. Some opportunities are open to all, while others are available only for ACU members.

The grants calendar shows when funding opportunities are coming up for the year 2021-2022. If you would like further information please visit our website.

From using insects to tackle food insecurity to exploring the role the sun plays in sustainable urbanisation, we have been inspired by the diverse ways in which our ACU community is uniting for our planet. 

Through our COP26 campaign #UnisForOurPlanet, we have been highlighting how universities are spearheading critical solutions and efforts to tackle climate change.

Is your university engaged in climate action? Download our toolkit to find out how you can share your story. 

The ACU Summer School unites students from every corner of the Commonwealth to discuss multidisciplinary issues of global importance. This year’s Summer School convened students online to explore themes linked to urban disasters.

Here we have Tevita Mikaele Rakula sharing his experience of ACU Summer School 2021.

ACU Summer School 2021 engaged and challenged 50 students from countries across the Commonwealth through an interactive two-week programme. By bringing together such a diverse cohort of students and speakers – each armed with their own respective areas of expertise and perspectives – group projects were designed to tap into the power of international collaboration to bring different ideas and solutions to the table.

We are delighted to showcase the work of the winning groups and students.