ACU Supporting Research Community Training Grants

  • Start Date:

  • Deadline:

  • Agency:
    Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)

The Office of Grants and Research (OGR), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), invites eligible staff to apply for the Supporting Research Community Training Grants offered by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).

The grant programme supports initiatives that strengthen research capacity within universities by funding training programmes for early and mid-career researchers. The scheme aims to equip researchers with essential professional and academic skills needed to advance their careers both within and beyond academia.

Programme Overview
Hosted by the ACU Supporting Research Community, the Supporting Research Community Training Grants provide funding for staff at ACU member universities to organise and deliver structured training programmes for early- and mid-career researchers, including doctoral candidates.

Previously known as the Early Career Research Training Grants, the programme focuses on strengthening the research ecosystem by supporting training initiatives that enhance researchers’ professional development, research effectiveness, and career progression. Universities may apply their internal definition of an early career researcher; however, doctoral candidates must be included in the target group.

Training activities supported under the programme must be open to researchers from multiple academic disciplines.

Training Focus Areas
Proposed training initiatives may cover a wide range of professional and research development skills, including:

  • Presentation and communication skills

  • Networking and professional relationship building

  • Time management and productivity

  • Public engagement and communicating research to non-academic audiences

  • Media engagement and social media communication

  • Stakeholder and partnership management

  • Grant writing and research funding strategies

  • Research data management

  • Career development, including opportunities beyond academia

Please note that the grant cannot be used to support existing training programmes; it must fund new training initiatives.

Funding Support
The programme will award five grants of up to GBP 2,000 each to support the organisation and delivery of training activities for early- and mid-career researchers.

Funding is intended to support the design and implementation of training sessions that contribute to the professional development of researchers within ACU member institutions.

Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must be staff members at an ACU member university and should be involved in organising or delivering training for early- and mid-career researchers. This includes staff working in research offices or other institutional units responsible for researcher development and capacity building.

Priority will be given to member universities that have not previously received an Early Career Research Training Grant.

Application Process
Applicants are required to review the programme guidance and frequently asked questions before submitting their proposals.

Applications must be submitted through the online application form available on the MyACU platform. Applicants who do not already have a MyACU account must first register and activate their account before accessing the application system.

Application Deadline
Applications must be submitted by 8 April 2026 at 15:00 UTC.

For more info:Supporting Research Community Grants | Funding opportunity | ACU

Interested staff at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology are encouraged to contact the Office of Grants and Research (OGR) for institutional guidance before submitting their applications.