Photo of a group collaboration activity in Viet Nam
Interactive collaborative learning activity in Viet Nam

The British Council is pleased to announce the partners awarded Climate Skills Global Collaboration Grants, supporting innovative international partnerships between the UK, Brazil, Mexico, Viet Nam, Indonesia, and India. 

These projects bring together UK and global education and community institutions to enable young people to gain practical climate skills, paid green work experience, and pathways into green careers. Through hands-on training, entrepreneurship, community-led climate action, and international exchange. The collaborations prioritise equity, employability, and real-world impact, supporting young women, marginalised groups, and underrepresented communities to access green jobs. 

Our strategic partnerships respond to shared climate challenges around the world. One example is a focus on flooding in the Amazon and Wales. Shared learning will be captured in the Amazon and Wales Flood & Housing Atlas (geographic information system), strengthening knowledge exchange between both regions. Young people will receive bursaries for internships focused on flood risk mapping, housing, drainage, construction, and climate adaptation. Working with municipal and local government partners, participants will gain real-world experience while contributing to local solutions.  

A further example is a collaboration between the UK and India in which 130 young people will work in cross-country teams to develop climate innovation prototypes, culminating in a Hybrid National Camp where ideas will be presented to industry experts. 

Together, these partnerships highlight the power of global collaboration to build inclusive, resilient, and climate-ready societies led by the next generation of changemakers. 

Read on to view the Climate Skills Global Collaboration Grants partnership higher education institutions at a glance. Details of each partnership project follows further below. 

Cardiff University - Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA)

Anglia Ruskin University - Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia (UFRA)

Leeds Beckett University - Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará (UFOPA)

Cardiff University - Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA)

16 young people, 8 UK and 8 Brazil, will build practical skills in flood resilience and climate adaptation, responding to the very real pressures facing communities in Wales and the Brazilian Amazon. Through a hybrid Climate Skills Academy and paid internships in both countries, participants will work in mixed teams with local authorities, youth researchers and community partners. The focus is on learning by doing, co-developing practical tools and approaches that can inform policy and strengthen responses in two high-risk flood regions.

Anglia Ruskin University - Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia (UFRA)

28 young people, 14 UK and 14 Brazil, will take part in green work experience linked to climate-positive livelihoods, with ecotourism identified as a strategic opportunity in Pará. Building on earlier Climate Skills collaboration, the project combines training, fieldwork and prototype development with structured UK–Brazil exchange. Alongside technical knowledge, participants will strengthen their confidence, professional networks and entrepreneurial skills, helping to turn climate ambition into realistic employment pathways.

Leeds Beckett University - Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará (UFOPA)

16 young people, 8 UK and 8 Brazil, including Quilombola youth in Brazil and young people not in education, employment or training in the UK, will engage in a programme focused on climate action, circular economy and inclusive enterprise. Through practical training, enterprise pilots and mentored placements, participants will explore opportunities linked to agroecology, forest products and waste reuse. The emphasis is on widening access, ensuring that those often under-represented in green sectors are supported to shape and benefit from locally led economic solutions.

University of Lincoln  - Tierra Verde Naturaleza y Cultura

Northumbria University  - Instituto Tecnol ógico Autónomo de México (ITAM) Business School   

 London Metropolitan University  - Universidad  Autónoma de Chiapas (UNACH)    

Edinburgh Napier University  - Fondo de Conservación El Triunfo A.C. (FONCET)    

Northumbria University  - Instituto Tecnol ógico Autónomo de México (ITAM) Business School    

36 young people, majority women, will develop circular economy ventures. They will experience a three-phase entrepreneurship programme including design sprints, prototyping and green venture launching.

London Metropolitan University  - Universidad  Autónoma de Chiapas (UNACH)     

This partnership will integrate traditional ecological knowledge with green work placements and enterprise incubation. Up to 70 young people in Mexico and the UK will be supported with mentorship and ultimately seed funding. 

University of Lincoln - Tierra Verde 

This project will provide hands-on international experience in sustainable bio-digesters for 20 young people. Hackathons and training in low-tech design across students will build practical agroecology and business skills for young people in the UK and rural areas of Chiapas. Methodology will be embedded in university curriculum for long-term impact.

Edinburgh Napier University  - Fondo de Conservación El Triunfo A.C. (FONCET)    

This project builds from our successful Climatón delivery in Chiapas, creating a hackathon environment for young people to deliver climate solutions. In this partnership, 50 young people from both Chiapas and Edinburgh will work together with a conservation focus, culminating in a UK–Mexico Climathon, and an international exchange featuring rewilding in Scotland and mangrove restoration in Chiapas.

 

Edinburgh Napier University - Can Tho University  

University of Southampton - Can Tho University   

Edinburgh Napier University – Can Tho University  

This partnership provides green entrepreneurship development for 20 UK and 20 Viet Nam students. After training in green business models, circular design and eco-innovation young people will undertake hands-on prototyping and mentoring with green SMEs. The programme culminates in a 3-day Youth Innovation Lab to showcase innovation challenges.

Southampton University – Can Tho University  

These partners will support 20 women in STEM into green entrepreneurship, with close professional mentoring in work readiness and practical business support, as well as international network building.

Lancaster University - INCREASE & AI Labs  

Brunel University London - INCREASE & AI Labs   

Lancaster University – INCREASE & AI Labs  

200 young people in Indonesia and 30 in the UK  will attend a Green Skills Bootcamp covering climate literacy, circular economy, sustainable enterprise, ethical leadership, digital skills, and green employability competencies. These young people will then undertake real-world consultancy challenges with UK and Indonesian employers and an iGrow Green Careers Summit to showcase youth solutions in both countries. The programme is developed and led by Lancaster University Management School in the UK, working in partnership with collaborators in Indonesia.

Brunel University of London – INCREASE & AI Labs  

This partnership focuses on climate innovation and vocational green skills for 200 young people in Indonesia and 20 in the UK entreprenuership and carbon capture young people will be supported with vocation placements. This includes advanced placements for select Indonesian participants at the Ministry of Manpower Training Centre, and international exchange opportunities for Indonesian youth funded to attend Brunel’s Design Factory Summer School. 

WMG University of Warwick - The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)  

University of Bristol - University of Mumbai 

The WMG, University of Warwick and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

This partnership will train young people in green entrepreneurial skills and support them to develop practical prototypes that address real-world sustainability challenges.  The partnership will bring together 130 young people – 100 from India and 30 from the UK – providing hands-on learning in sustainable design and green enterprise. Participants will be grouped by skill areas and interests and will receive mentorship to identify skills gaps and guide project development. Together they will attend a Hybrid National Camp to present their prototypes to industry panels, showcasing innovative solutions and fostering professional connections.

 University of Bristol - University of Mumbai 

The programme will engage 50–80 young people, providing hands-on learning through Community Co-Creation Labs (CCLs) in Mumbai, Thane, and Bristol. Participants will work alongside local communities, students, and researchers to identify immediate climate adaptation and mitigation priorities and co-develop practical solutions. Together, they will work with communities to co‑create solutions that integrate traditional knowledge with modern scientific understanding, leading to localised outcomes. Learning will continue post-funding as University of Bristol opens a Mumbai campus in summer 2026. 

Share this