Research | 研究

The Confucius Institute is building on a long-standing research collaboration with its partner Beijing Normal University and is a facilitator of research on China across all three faculties of The University of Manchester.

The Confucius Institutes aims to play a significant role in the coordination of research activities across campus since the appointment of the academic director post in 2016.

Aiming to support China related research in Manchester, we are particularly interested to fund exploratory academic workshops, co-sponsor speakers and conferences and host visiting scholars.

We continue to invest in language research to inform our teaching and bring expertise from the UK and China through our biannual symposia and joint research to improve the learning experience of our students.

We welcome approaches from other researchers or organisations that would be interested in accessing the Institute's resources and expertise.

Find out more about our research activities which are either institute-led or carried out in partnership with our valued collaborators.

The Confucius Institute is now pleased to provide financial support for academic research staff who wish to organise exploratory workshops or formal conferences on at the University of Manchester. The CI will issue annual calls for applications, but staff are also encouraged to approach the Academic Director informally as well. These events can be from any discipline, so long as the topic relates to the study of China. Support ranges from £1000 to £2000 per event, and the CI can provide administrative support, including arranging travel and lodging, catering, and venue on campus.

Workshops

Exploratory workshops allow staff members who study China to network with scholars in the UK and abroad by giving papers. These are generally closed to the public and can be used as seed funding to develop larger grant applications.

  • 25 February 2017: ‘History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in East Asia’, organised by Dr. Aya Homei (Manchester) and Dr. Leon Rocha (Liverpool).

Conferences

Staff members can approach the CI to secure financial support for larger conferences, but the CI cannot solely fund these events. We ask that the organisers secure external funding first, and then approach the CI for additional support as needed.

Academic visitors

The CI is now able to support up to three visiting scholars from the UK and abroad by providing office space, administrative help, and potentially financial support for research activities at the University of Manchester. Expenses including lodging, local transport, and airfare are expected to be supplied by the visitors. Interested applicants should identify a member of staff at the University of Manchester to host them during their stay, and then contact the Academic Director.

Sponsored visitors

The CI will also support travel, accommodation, and research expenses for short visits (up to two weeks) for any external scholar who will facilitate ongoing projects at the university. Sponsored visitors must be nominated by a member of staff at the university. The CI is especially interested in promoting projects with partners who have Chinese collections such as the Manchester Museum, the Whitworth Art Gallery, and the John Rylands Library.