Further details about Durham's Turing Funding

- Last updated 30/09/2021

The University has been awarded a grant from the Turing Scheme, the UK government’s programme to study and work abroad. This funding will support c. 200 Durham students to undertake Global Opportunity, including study, work, research and volunteering abroad in 2021/22.

Durham is awating two critical stages to be completed. First: full legal sign-off of our Turing agreement by the Department for Education (DfE) and its Turing delivery partner (the British Council). Second, all UK universities are awaiting access to key Turing systems to enable schemes to be run. Until these two conditions are met, universities are not in a position to commit to what activities are funded and for how long.

I would like to go on a Turing exchange...?

It's great that you would like to go abroad. Turing is a type of funding and not an exchange programme. It will fund certain activities including work, study and volunteering that the university organises and advertises.

What should I do to get Turing funding?

Presently we are asking students not request funding from the International Office or colleagues. Until the two critical stages above have been completed, we cannot commit funding to students. Once all the requirements are in place, Durham University will:

• Directly contact those students on planned full-year opportunities abroad in academic 2021/22 who will be eligible for funding.
• Advertise any additional Turing funded short-term opportunities for academic year 2021/22 (with activities starting 2022) on the GO webpages.

I am going abroad to do [insert activity], can I get funded?

The Turing Scheme will only fund officially sanctioned Durham University activities that meet specific requirements. The University will have to pre-register these activities with the Turing funding body.  These activities will be advertised through the University's communication channels (such as emails, through Departments etc). Activities not officially sanctioned or supported by Durham University (such as private activities e.g. taking a language course during your summer holidays) will not be eligible for Turing funding.

Can I bid directly to the DfE / BC for funding myself?

No. The Turing Scheme funds education establishements and not individuals.  

Theoretically, what will I need to do if I am eligible for funding?

Once the scheme is live we will contact those students already on planned placements who will be eligible for funding. Likewise we will openly advertise any additional placements.

In order to recive funding for these eligible activities students will be required to submit certain documentation within strict timeframes (set by Turing rules). The preliminary guidance recieved from the government indicates that a failure by students to submit documents in time will mean that they will not receive funding. This documentation is likely to entail arrival and departure certification (to provide an audit trail to demonstrate the activity has taken place), however, until the DfE finalises the reporting system and gives UK universities access, we do not know full details of the exact requirements. Once known we will notify students and develop a submission portal for them.

I'm going on an Erasmus year abroad in 2021/22, can I have Turing instead?

No. While Turing funding replaces the UK’s participation in the EU’s Erasmus+ programme in the long term, in 2021/22 the University will continue to participate in Erasmus+. The University is not permitted to use Turing funding for opportunities that are covered by our current Erasmus+ funding.

What about 2022/23?

Government Turing funding rules mean that the first Turing funding may only cover activities in the 2021/22 academic year. The University will bid for funding for 2022/23, whenever the DfE permits this. It has not been announced when universities will be able to bid for future funding.

Who was Turing?

The Turing Scheme is named after pioneering UK war hero and father of modern computing Alan Turing, who studied abroad at Princeton University before going on crack the Enigma code in World War Two. Full information on the Turing Scheme can be found at: www.turing-scheme.org.uk.