How does the British Council support higher education research and knowledge ecosystems? 

Research as dialogue: becoming knowledge translators  

You may have seen the British Council in the news recently and be familiar with some areas of our work, but how much do you know about its role in research and applied knowledge generation? Both in terms of supporting external research networks, as a specific type of research funder that provides seed grants/commissions bespoke research studies, but also in generating and sharing cultural relations knowledge itself?  

As a cultural relations and educational organisation the British Council was established in 1934, and our current mission is ‘to build connections, understanding and trust between the UK and the world.’ In a world in which concepts such as ‘post-truth’, flyaway information, and reactive opinions are becoming more mainstream, grappling with holding spaces (intellectually, physically, and imaginatively), from a place of ‘deep listening’ and mutuality is increasingly important. In this context, the need for considered knowledge making, as cross-cultural processes of sharing and learning, is fundamental to the mission of the British Council.   

We often seek to practically understand what metaphorical ‘bridge-building’ in the British Council looks and feels like. You can read many examples of this in our Oral Histories – the British Council in action report (2024). For many of us, research sits at a critical juncture in delivering our mission. However, we are one amongst webs of research networks, and researchers (whether in an academic institution or beyond), must now be/become knowledge translators and bridge builders with practitioners, policy makers, local communities, and so on. This is essential if we are to renew and revitalise how research is understood and made relevant. Including that research/inquiry can be a way of dialoguing with each other’s assumptions and claims to reach deeper, practical insights. 

Research and insight at the British Council  

At the British Council, our research provides evidence and insight on arts and culture, education, and English language teaching and assessment. We offer leading analysis on how cultural relations work in these areas helps to build trust, foster collaboration, and support international peace and prosperity.  We are on the ground in every region of the world and have a digital presence in over 200 countries. This has allowed us to create a unique and global network of policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and communities. We collaborate to generate knowledge and insights that shape how we and our partners design cultural relations programmes and improve teaching and assessment methods around the world. For example, The Future of English research programme included 16 roundtables with 92 policymakers and policy influencers from around the world. Our global collaborations, such as this one, allow us to generate trusted and expert evidence that informs policies, creating meaningful dialogue with our partners to drive positive change in the UK and around the world.    

We are a local, regional and global networked organisation with many opportunities for UK-based academics to reach practitioners and policy makers (as well as other academics) outside the UK. Our recent Oral histories work speaks to these connections, as does our alumni network for people from around the world who have studied in or with the UK as an overseas student. We are a source of new knowledge, data and insight, increasingly making our data sets open to other researchers (see ‘sharing our research’). We also seek to enable knowledge exchange and engagement between research, policy and practice, through a lens of self-awareness/criticality. In this regard, we are currently developing a range of Impact stories in relation to the sectors in which we work – including education, arts and culture, English, as well as gender equality, soft power and climate mitigation. One example is the research study connected to the Young Ukrainians’ Concerns, Needs, and Hopes report, which examined the war’s impact on young Ukrainians aged 14-35. Within two months of publication, the research was launched at a UK House of Lords event and the All-Ukrainian Youth Work Forum in Kyiv, engaging 158 stakeholders, including the FCDO, the Ukraine’s Deputy Ambassador to the UK and All-Ukrainian Youth Work Forum (and associated partners including UNICEF Ukraine, UNDP, and GIZ). The research has influenced the British Council’s UK-Ukraine Schools Twinning Project, strengthened relationships with the Ukraine APPG and the Foreign Policy Centre. It’s an ongoing process in which we continue to learn. 

How do we open up our research in support of higher education research ecosystems? 

There is further to go with how we learn and incorporate that learning in research engagement between research, policy and practice. How we think about ‘research ecosystems’ is one such example. However, when we think about ‘research ecosystems’ at present, we are often considering a range of initiatives that cut across UK policy engagement with an international focus, as well as international policy engagement using international and/or UK evidence. Here are a few examples to illustrate this: 

1. The British Council supports several applied HE fellowships. For example, at present we have a collaboration with CREDO, to support early-career researchers to undertake knowledge exchange placements with the British Council, helping to create connections between emerging academic insight and our own cultural relations practice in the arts and cultural heritage protection. The most recent placement was completed by Vashala Charles, a PhD student in cultural sustainability at the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. Vashala’s research focused on the role of music in peacebuilding among communities affected by the Boko-Haram insurgency in Michika, Nigeria. We also have a collaboration with Charlotte Faucher from the University of Bristol related to European soft power research, and it directly seeks to inform European policy spaces. As well as our 90th anniversary research fellows, in partnership with the University of Edinburgh, which started this year. The intention behind all the fellowships is that research informs policy recommendations and/or practice. We currently have a call out for the 2026 IASH fellowships. 

2. Collaboration with a range of partners involved in the applied research cycle, including public bodies, multi-lateral organisations, partners and academics. For example, in February, we held a Cultural Heritage and Climate Knowledge Sharing Workshop with AHRC, DCMS, and UNESCO UK. This is part of an ongoing initiative to unpack the UK’s contribution to the EU Horizon Climate and Cultural Heritage Partnership, and to consider how to use the knowledge and insights from our climate programmes and projects to help inform and shape global policy moments including COP in Brazil and the UNESCO Mondiacult Conference in Spain, later in 2025. 

Sharing our research, knowledge and insights 

Research – Policy/Practice engagement at the British Council often includes a mix of communication and advocacy approaches. Increasingly, we are pushing ourselves to innovate, be more inclusive, and learn – we have much further to go! However, after planning (which includes what measures of success may look like), we often share our research through: 

1.  Events/workshops/conferences (face to face, virtual or hybrid). These can be parliamentary events, such as the sharing of our report on ‘Understanding Ukrainian young people’s current concerns, needs and hopes’, or holding our own conferences, as in the case of Going Global on international education. 

2. Open access data sets that can be used by other researchers e.g. our Next Generation research series. The series has so far covered over 20 counties and surveyed over 50,000 young people. Next Generation aims to uncover the aspirations and needs of young people around the world, focusing on countries that are experiencing significant change. We are starting to add some datasets to the UK Data Service (starting with Next Generation UK). 

3. Open access repositories e.g. as an active member of the International Cultural Relations Research Alliance (ICRRA) we contribute towards the IFA repository on Foreign and Cultural Education Policy by sharing key reports and their findings. Our 90^th anniversary oral history recordings will be made publicly available through British Library Sounds. 

4. Our World, Connected podcast. Podcasting can be a mechanism that enables not only the sharing of research, but also an opportunity to learn from others working in similar sectors, and to connect it to current/live insights as they unfold. This is one way we are building our understanding and value of mutuality into our engagement approaches. We have only just scratched the surface. 

Engaging research and policy processes: what lessons are emerging? 

So, what lessons are we learning concerning engaging with policy from a research perspective? According to Michael Peak, Head of Education Research and Insight, ‘changes to education systems can take time, but a case study of the Philippines indicates how research can inform policy and practice, and create opportunities for HE providers and students. For example, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED – an agency of the Office of the President of the Philippines) has considered the findings from British Council research and consultancy since 2018, including the early volumes of The Shape of Global Higher Education research series. 

The reformation of their HE system was informed by British Council input and research and has resulted in the passing of new laws for TNE and development of local programmes to foster partnerships between local and UK providers, focussing on niche areas of specific importance and relevance to the Philippines.’ Mona Lotten, Head of Soft Power Research and Insight, goes on to emphasise the importance of ‘the relational’ first and foremost, and ‘the need to establish yourself as a trusted and constructive partner in a practical way to achieve the influence and get people to want to collaborate with you.’ Do either of these reflections connect with your own experiences? 

Looking ahead I hope to be able to unpack further (on a specific aspect/context), the broader question of ‘what does effective knowledge mobilisation look like for the British Council?’ A recent report from the OECD suggested in relation to educational policy engagement there is a long way to go across many types of organisations. If you have external resources/studies that could inform this, do let us know.  

Ways to connect 

We are very much open to ideas and proposals for collaboration and knowledge exchange in areas that relate to our remit and areas of expertise. If you have an idea, or question, you can reach us at: researchglobal@britishcouncil.org. 

Could we be a valuable research collaborator?  Are there pieces (data/reports/analysis) from our work that you could use in your own research? Is there a shared policy agenda on a specific topic of mutual interest we could collaborate on?  

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Visit our website for all our open-access research reports and insight articles.