Projects are expected to benefit students and staff at both institutions. Applicants must clearly state the impact that the award will bring to both institutions in terms of student experience, and, where possible, involve staff-student partnerships in the design and delivery. 

Projects which support development in the following areas are encouraged:  

• Research-led education: projects that are informed by the most recent research in the relevant topic. This could entail encouraging students to participate in research projects. 
• New applications for digital technologies: Projects that pursue innovative, inclusive and impactful online experiential learning opportunities. 
• Multidisciplinary, global challenge topics that may be linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
• Student entrepreneurship: Projects that provide students with the knowledge, skills, and resources to develop an entrepreneurial mindset through joint projects or creating experiential learning opportunities (e.g. joint hackathons). 

• Digital lifelong learning: Projects that involve designing flexible, digital curricular that can be accessed by learners, students and/or alumni at different stages of life.
• Learning analytics: projects that foster knowledge exchange on approaches to building learning analytics platforms, and structures, and designing metrics to support and enhance the student experience. 
• Exchange of academic and professional knowledge: Study visits or workshops to clearly and demonstrably aid the exchange of academic and professional knowledge, including sharing of good practice to underpin the preparation of a long-term collaborative partnership (e.g. preparation of a PhD summer school, joint module delivery etc) 

All projects are encouraged to incorporate digital innovations appropriate to achieving their project goals in line with our institutional education strategies.

Projects can be either curriculum based or extracurricular. Interdisciplinary projects are particularly encouraged.  

This call has a total budget of £20,000 from Imperial, to be awarded to up to 5 successful AIMS and Imperial collaborating teams.  

Total project budget requests are not expected to exceed GBP 10,000. Funds can only be spent on activities which fit the purpose of this call. 

The applicants also declare that the Imperial-AIMS Education Fund award will not be used for any item(s) funded or pending funding from other sources. 

All funds will be paid to the Imperial PI to manage locally and in line with standard College guidance.   

Eligible costs 

At Imperial, the fund is open to permanent members of staff only.  

One proposal per principal applicant per call is permitted.  

Each application should have one principal applicant based at Imperial and one principal applicant at AIMS and should contain:  

• A written case for support to address the following questions:  

1. Alignment to call: A description of the project and collaboration proposed, a brief description of the intended use and impact of the funding. Please refer to point 2 above for guidance. 
2. Impact on student experience: A description of how the project will benefit  students at both institutions, and how it will facilitate students working together across institutions.
3. Added value: Explanation of how the activities proposed generate demonstrable added value that has the potential to change teaching 
4. Sustainability and strategic value: A description of the long-term impact and development of the project, and how it will add value to the strategic partnership between AIMS and Imperial. 
5. AIMS-Imperial partnership: A description of how the project team will collaborate throughout the project and the benefits of involving of team members from each institution.   

The panel will rank the proposals based on: 

• excellence of education project 
• how the activities proposed generate demonstrable added value that has the potential to change teaching 
• the difference the funding will make, including clear justification of why this funding scheme is appropriate 
• how and when the project outcomes will become embedded into standard educational practices at each institution  
• innovative use of new learning formats 
• impact on student experience  
• AIMS-Imperial partnership: the project demonstrates a full collaboration between AIMS and Imperial team members in the design and delivery  

AIMS and Imperial will then jointly review applications to make a final decision on which applications will receive funding.