Calling for Expression of Interest (EoIs) from a Sri Lankan research team to join with a UK research team for submitting a joint application under Disability Inclusion Partnerships 2026

British Council has announced ‘Disability Inclusion Partnerships 2026’ a collaborative research grant scheme between UK and other identified countries to support institutions to identify and address barriers to participation, progression and success for persons with disabilities, while strengthening disability-inclusive policies, systems and practices through international collaboration and knowledge exchange. (For more information: Disability Inclusion Partnerships 2026 | British Council)

Dr Chamida Hewage, Associate Dean Research (Interim) of the Cardiff School of Technologies, UK and an expatriate Sri Lankan scientist (Dr Chaminda Hewage | Cardiff Metropolitan University) has expressed willingness to collaborate with a suitable Sri Lankan research team to develop a proposal and submit under this call.

Potential areas of collaboration are as follows:

• Supporting learners with special educational needs
• Undertaking an exploratory study to better understand the challenges faced by disabled students in higher education
• Assessing how technology-based solutions can help improve accessibility, participation, and learning outcomes

As per the guidelines of the British Council, the Principal Investigator of the prospective research team from Sri Lanka should fulfill following criteria:

• The applicant must be attached to a recognized higher education institution in Sri Lanka
• That institution should have the administrative capacity to manage its share of the grant and partner activities
• He/She should have at least 05 years of post-doctoral research experience in the desired fields mentioned above
• He/She should possess an h-index of around 10-15+
• He/She must be able to articulate how the partnership/outcomes will be embedded institutionally beyond the 12-month grant period

If you are a prospective candidate, please prepare a 01-page EOI providing evidence for the above criteria and send to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. on or before 31^st August 2026 along with a 02-page summary of the Academic CV.

For any further information, please contact Ms Thilinakumari Kandanamulla, Senior Scientific Officer, International Affairs Division, NSF (T.P.: 0112696771 Ext 156, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)