Opportunity Northern Ireland

The final product should also be of interest more widely to international stakeholders and Governments, who may wish to gain a deeper understanding of Northern Ireland's Higher Education sector.

• Contextualise Northern Ireland as a region while setting out its unique selling points as a destination for international Higher Education study and research collaboration 
• Provide a comprehensive overview of Northern Ireland’s wider assets linked to Higher Education, including but not limited to its expertise in areas such as cybersecurity, FinTech, transitional justice, security and peacebuilding, and creative industries 
• Inform British Council’s global network; stakeholders globally; and international Governments of the context of both Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University, detailing each university’s academic overview; collaborative research footprint and international aspirations 
• Contextualise Northern Ireland’s place in history as a centre of industrial and literary prowess, as well as its current position as a modern, globally connected and youth-driven region 
• Set out the cultural and Arts landscape of Northern Ireland for an international audience, in terms of its tourism, safety, cost of living and as a gateway for national and international travel 
• Reflect on the alignment of both universities with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, as well as Northern Ireland’s commitment as a region to sustainability, highlighting the global relevance of Northern Ireland’s HE offer 
• Explore Northern Ireland’s unique position as the only part of the UK to have a land border with the European Union, and highlight collaboration with HE institutions in Ireland 
• Showcase a number of striking takeaway facts about Northern Ireland connected to its HE sector, which would be of interest to the British Council’s global network, and encourage engagement and partnership opportunities with international stakeholders and Governments. 

Outputs and deadlines: 

The selected supplier will be expected to engage closely with British Council Northern Ireland colleagues and stakeholders throughout the research.

Outputs from the research process are expected to include: