The Access and Competitiveness through Internationalisation of Higher Education (ACT-IHE) is a three-year project between the British Council and the Commission on Higher Education. This collaboration seeks to widen the access of learners to quality higher education and to build the competitiveness of Filipino universities.
ACT-IHE forms part of the Going Global Partnerships programme. Going Global Partnerships connects universities, colleges, education policymakers, civil society organisations and industry partners in the UK and around the world.
This British Council programme offers vital international opportunities - the chance to build relationships, to share ideas and good practice, to access grant funding for collaborative partnerships and more. Through this work, the programme contributes to stronger, more inclusive and globally connected tertiary education systems which support economic and social growth.
Programme goals
ACT-IHE builds on the successes of the Joint Development of Niche Programmes through Philippine-UK Linkages (JDNP) which pioneered postgraduate transnational education (TNE) programmes between the Philippines and the UK.
Through the project, we seek to:
- build knowledge of Philippine state universities and colleges on TNE and their capacity to develop TNE programmes with the UK
- create five new Philippine-UK TNE programmes on priority areas
- improve the international profile of the Philippines and its alignment to international standards
- strengthen the Philippines’ expertise in niche areas critical for national development
- increase education partnerships between the UK and the Philippines
The project supports the Transnational Higher Education Law signed in 2019 which facilitates TNE partnerships between foreign and local universities, increasing access of Filipino students to international qualifications.
Under ACT-IHE, we will also provide full scholarship grants for eligible faculty members from Philippine higher education institutions who wish to take the existing postgraduate TNE degrees developed through the JDNP project.
By enabling Filipinos to take these master’s degree programmes in niche areas, we build their expertise in disciplines that are locally unavailable, providing them with a highly specialised and in-demand skill set.