DelPHE will provide funding for partnerships between higher education institutions working on collaborative activity linked to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (www.un.org/millenniumgoals). The overall goal is to enable partner institutions to act as catalysts for poverty reduction and sustainable development.

Partnerships supported under DelPHE should involve at least two higher education institutions and projects will have to be led by a partner in one of the 25 bilateral focus countries of DfID. India is one of the focus countries in Asia.

Funding is normally provided for three-years ranging from £15,000 for a bilateral project and going up to £50,000 a year for complex larger-scale projects involving a number of institutions or countries.

Higher education institutions can work on initiatives for skills development, knowledge sharing, problem solving research and other activities that will contribute towards achieving the MDGs. In addition to addressing core areas such as health, education and gender equality the scheme also encourages projects that promote science and technology.

Since its launch in 2006, four projects are running in India with prestigious institutions like Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai as lead partners.

Information on the application process and project cycle can be downloaded from http://www.britishcouncil.org/delphe.htm

For further details, please contact Ramesh.Veluchamy@in.britishcouncil.org