British Council: Bridging Voices
Overview
Bridging Voices is supported by a $450,000 (€330, 000) award from the Henry Luce Foundation to the Friends of the British Council. Five grants, to be managed by the British Council, will be awarded annually to groups of institutions on both sides of the Atlantic. The grants will fund the organisation of two academic and policy dialogues over a period of one year – one in the United States and the other in the United Kingdom, as well as collaborations with academics elsewhere in Europe.
Through these dialogues, Bridging Voices will bring together transatlantic academics and policymakers to share their expertise on topics related to religion and international affairs. Participants will use these dialogues to exchange knowledge and develop a more accurate and nuanced understanding of religion and its role in international relations.
These dialogues will also include engagement with the media and the general public, to ensure that these discussions are also heard in the public sphere.
The program will support transatlantic coalitions of universities, policy organisations, and institutions to:
- Organise closed-door transatlantic academic and policy dialogues that convene scholars, academics, and policymakers.
- Engage the media and the general public on issues concerning religion and international affairs through public events and media interviews, utilising the distinguished academics and policymakers convened for the dialogues.
- Publish a collective summary of outcomes from the dialogue and several short written pieces from select dialogue participants which articulate their views on issues relating to the role of religion in international affairs, provide an assessment of existing gaps in understanding, or offer recommendations for research or policy steps which could be taken to close those gaps and improve knowledge of these issues.
- Transatlantic partnerships between higher education institutions, research centers, think tanks, or other non-governmental organisations which can demonstrate scope in and expertise with policy, governmental, or religious issues are eligible to apply.
Each partnership must have institutional representation from the US and UK but can include third countries from Europe.
Five grants of up to $24,000 will be offered to partnerships.