Alumni Impact Fund: staff applications

Monday 28 September: Applications open

Tuesday 6 October: Online Alumni Impact Fund information session. At this session you can:

• Find out more about the fund
• Get tips on how to fill out your application effectively

Register your attendance by completing this form 

Tuesday 20 October: We are hosting a second online information session for those unable to attend on the 6th October. This session may also useful for anyone who has started their application and want to ask any questions or clarification on the process so far.

Register your attendance by completing this form 

Monday 26 October, 18:00: Applications close

Week commencing Monday 16 November: Applicants notified of outcome

Please ensure the project is feasible and will go ahead before applying.

To be considered for funding, your project must clearly demonstrate that it:

• Is new and/or innovative and may provide the basis for future activity
• Offers a unique opportunity to enhance teaching, or students' academic activities, on campus and enriches the student experience and aligns with the University’s strategy
• Is not a core Department, School, College or University requirement
• Cannot be funded in any other way
• Has the support of the Head of School/Department, and Head of Estates for any bids that impact on the University's estate
• Must be completed by an agreed date in order to demonstrate immediate impact

Terms and conditions

• This money has been charitably donated to the University by alumni and all projects funded must reflect the spirit of this generosity and the ethos of the University
• Funding cannot be used to support research trips, cover personal travel expenses, catering or alcohol
• We reserve the right to consider the likely expectations of charitable donors about the use of their donation, and will not fund projects that could negatively impact on our future fundraising. We would not, for example, usually fund proselytising activities
• Funding cannot be used with the sole aim of directly supporting another charitable cause
• Only one application will be funded per individual
• All funding must be spent and projects completed by an agreed date
• All successful applicants will be required to complete a short survey once their project is completed

Support students

• We encourage staff to use the fund to support students' employability and we ask that you speak to WorkLink prior to submitting an application, to ensure the costs are valid and the project is viable

Creative Competitions Intern

The Creative Competitions bring together students, staff and alumni to create and share One Minute Movies and Sixty Word Stories inspired by a common theme. Open to all members of the University community, the competitions provide an inclusive platform for creativity, collaboration and engagement.

Staff member Jemma Penny used the Alumni Impact Funding to fund an internship dedicated to expanding the reach and success of this year’s competitions including promotion of the competitions, entry management and event delivery. The funding enabled a larger-scale programme and a celebratory showcase event where participants could share their work, connect with others and gain recognition for their achievements.

Olivia successfully completed the internship, building on her transferable skills, boosting her employability and helping to prepare her to face the graduate jobs market with more experience and confidence. Hear more about Olivia’s experience: Instagram

University of Birmingham X Birmingham Design Festival - Workshops

Staff member Annie Davies used the Alumni Impact Fund to deliver a series of workshops in collaboration with professionals from Birmingham Design, founders of Birmingham Design Festival, giving students direct access to industry expertise, skills development and local creative career opportunities. The initiative was particularly valuable in demonstrating that successful careers in the creative industries can be built outside London while strengthening connections between students and Birmingham’s creative sector.

Funding enabled the delivery of the workshops, venue hire in a historic Jewellery Quarter creative hub, and the provision of resources, creating opportunities for students to learn from industry professionals and network with local creatives – providing a new experience outside of the lecture theatre.

Calibrating Futures: Enhancing Research Experience and Employability in Economics at UoBD

This project offered research assistantships to two motivated and deserving final-year BSc Economics and Money, Banking & Finance students at the University of Birmingham (UoB) Dubai. Under the supervision of Umaima Imran on the development economics research project “Misallocation of Resources, Political Connections, and External Flows,” students gained hands-on experience in academic research to develop essential empirical, quantitative, and coding skills, including the use of calibration techniques to analyze and compare economic outcomes across countries.

Over the course of the assistantships, the two students-built confidence in presenting research findings, sharing insights with peers, contributing to academic learning within their programs whilst boosting transferable skills highly sought after by employers, including data analysis, problem solving, and evidence-based reasoning, enhancing their employability!

For more examples of Alumni Impact Fund supported projects, take a look at the main website. 

For queries relating to the Alumni Impact Fund, please contact Symrun Samria.

For any University of Birmingham Dubai based applicants, please contact Ceri Keeping