The International Symposium on Resilient Planet (the Symposium) is a prominent component of the British Council’s ISPF activity ‘Research Collaboration and Mobility: Green Industrial Revolution Programme’. Spanning three days, this fully funded event offers a wide range of engaging activities. 

  • An academic symposium is organised, primarily targeted towards early career researchers in the field of natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. This symposium provides an opportunity for early career researchers to showcase their work, discuss emerging trends, and engage in productive dialogue with senior and leading researchers from the UK and China. It aims to foster a supportive environment that empowers young researchers and encourages their contributions to the field.
  • A day of site visits is arranged for participants to explore universities and research centres. This enables them to gain insights into ongoing research projects, witness state-of-the-art facilities, and potentially discover areas for collaboration.
  • A facilitated discussion is organised to scope the needs, priorities and recommendations for further research funding activities including sub-themes and target audience.

Time and location

The event will take place in Beijing, China from Monday 4 November to Wednesday 6 November 2024.

Cost and funding

The costs of international travel and accommodation for participants will be fully covered and arranged by the British Council. Participants need to cover other logistics costs by themselves (e.g., obtaining visa and travel document, airport transfers in home countries, travel insurance).

The British Council will provide necessary support to successful applicants to obtain visas to visit China, including issuing invitation letters. However, the British Council cannot control or influence the outcome of the application or give any advice on visa applications.

Thematic focus of the symposium

The symposium will focus on interdisciplinary research to address major environmental challenges and to lead the green industrial revolution to protect the planet. Priority research themes include (not exhaustive): 

  • Clean Energy
  • Extreme Weather and Climate
  • Agri-Tech
  • Environmental Resilience

Who is this opportunity for?

The call opens to eligible early career researchers from the UK. Senior researchers from the UK and researchers from China will be invited by the British Council in collaboration with partner organisations from the UK and China. The symposium will bring together up to 40 early career researchers and 10 senior researchers based in the UK and China to discuss key questions around the theme of ‘Resilient Planet’. The symposium is designed specifically to encourage collaboration and networking between researchers from the UK and China. 

We expect that early career researchers to:

  • Present their research findings through presentations.
  • Participate actively in conference sessions and workshops.
  • Participate in panel discussions related to their research area.
  • Engage in discussions, receiving feedback, and networking with other attendees.

We expect senior researchers to:

  • Present a keynote or invited talk based on their expertise and research experience.
  • Moderate conference sessions, ensuring smooth transitions and adherence to the schedule.
  • Share experiences, tips, and strategies for successful research and career progression.

Eligibility

Participants must be qualified as early career researchers and from eligible higher education institutions and/or research organisations from the UK as detailed in the guidance, regardless of their own nationalities.

For the purpose of this programme, an early career researcher is defined as follows:

  • Having completed or are close to completion of their PhD, potentially waiting for their final viva voce examination, which must be passed prior to taking up the award. ECRs will not have held a permanent academic post or a post that allows them to supervise PhD students or submit research grants as a principal investigator. Time spent in teaching-only roles or academic related roles does not affect ECR status.
  • If a researcher does not hold a PhD degree, but has research experience equivalent to a PhD degree holder and/or works in a field where a PhD degree is not a prerequisite for established research activity, they can still be considered eligible.
  • As we move toward greater inclusivity for ECRs from a wide range of backgrounds, we are no longer counting years spent in a specific career stage. Career breaks and alternative trajectories to an early academic career are all considered outside the definition of career stage.

How to apply

Please refer to the attached call documents for more information.

All applications must be submitted via the application portal before the deadline set in the guidance.

Application Link: 

https://grants.britishcouncil.org/

Please note that you will need to register on the website before you are able to start your application form. The application form will be linked to this log-in and password.

After registration, please make sure that you select the “UK-China Symposium on Resilient Planet” application form to start your application, as there may be other programmes open to application at the same time on this portal. 

Applicants may refer to the application form in the Appendix C to prepare their application materials and submit their applications at the above link.

Applications and all supporting documents must be in English.

Timeline

Activity  Date / Time
Launch the Call   17 June 2024
Deadline for Application  4 August 2024 12:00 mid-day British Summer Time 
Selection  August 2024
Announcement of Results  Early September 2024

Equiry Email: ISPFLB4@britishcouncil.org