Edu-X Research Fund 2025/26

CILTER invites applications for its Edu-X Research Fund, available to professional services staff, academic staff, and postgraduate students at IELLI, for innovative and practice-led projects that reflect the mission and values of CILTER. Up to £1,000 per project is available, with £2,000 ring-fenced for proposals led by professional services staff or PG students. Please ensure your proposal:

• Aligns with the ethos of Edu-X research (https://cilter.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/edu-x-research/) and IELLI’s Research and Impact Strategy (https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/lifelong-learning/research-impact/research-and-impact-strategy/)
• Is collaborative (ideally across academic, professional services, and PG communities)
• Produces both practice-oriented and research-based outputs
• relates to language education, teacher education, international education, or their intersection

Here is a non-exhaustive list of areas that the fund can cover:

• recruitment of participants or project assistants
• subscription to educational/research software/membership
• purchase of resources
• honoraria for speakers/trainers
• dissemination of outcomes e.g., presentations at conferences, development of a website

Funded projects must take place within the AY 2025/26. Applications will be reviewed by a panel comprising the CILTER Director, CILTER Deputy Director, a professional services staff, a PGT student, a PGR student, and a staff member external to IELLI.

Application closes on 12th September 2025 (Friday). Review of applications will take place in September. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by 3rd October 2025 (Friday).

If you have any questions about this fund, please email [email protected]. 

Funded Projects (AY 2025/26)

Following the call, we have received a total of 10 project applications. After a double-blind peer review process by five reviewers comprising the CILTER Director, an IELLI academic staff, an academic staff outside of IELLI, a PGR student, and a PGT student, we are pleased to share that the following four projects have been recommended for funding in this round:

• Recognising the Margins: Co-Designing a Web-Based Professional Development Toolkit for Paraprofessional Language Educators 
  • Amount funded: £1,000
  • Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Hashimura
  • Co-Investigator: Deidre Balke
• An edited collection of the research experiences of the initial cohorts of the University of St Andrews DProf (TESOL) programme (Book Title TBD)
  • Amount funded: £1,000
  • Principal Investigator: Virginia Parker
  • Co-Investigator: Ming Sum Kong
• Benchmarking a pre-sessional listening assessment to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
  • Amount funded: £500
  • Principal Investigator: Stefan O’Grady
  • Co-Investigator: Aaron Rotsinger; Aylin Unaldi
• SAJILE and beyond: Building a practice-focused journal and supportive community of practice
  • Amount funded: £1,000
  • Principal Investigator: Sarah Hopkyns
  • Co-Investigator: Thomas Stringer