Keele University has secured funding of £910,000 as part of the Government’s new Turing Scheme, which will facilitate opportunities for Keele students to study abroad.

The programme, which spans 150 countries including Canada, Japan and the United States, as well as European countries such as France and Germany, will give students the opportunity to develop technical and personal skills, build their confidence, and experience other cultures.

The Turing Scheme will support students with the costs associated with studying abroad, including funding for travel and expenses such as passports and visas, as well as a grant for living costs to tackle the barriers to studying overseas that some students face.

Professor Mark Ormerod, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost at Keele University, said: "I am delighted by our success in securing such significant funding from the Government's new Turing Scheme.

“The funding provides a fantastic opportunity for a significant number of our students to spend time overseas at one of our many partner institutions across the globe, fully funded by the scheme, really adding to their experience and personal development at Keele. This is something we are really committed to as a global institution - preparing our graduates for the future global society.”

Emma Pearce, Head of Global Opportunities at Keele, added: “International mobility is an incredibly important part of our offering at Keele, and the benefits of spending time abroad are invaluable for our students. This funding enables us to support students across all faculties to experience a life-changing opportunity abroad.”

The scheme, named after scientist Alan Turing, was unveiled in December 2020 as the replacement to the UK’s participation in Erasmus+ following the UK's departure from the European Union.

Education providers across the West Midlands have received a significant proportion of the funding, as the scheme aims to improve social mobility across areas in the UK which had seen lower uptake of the Erasmus+ programme.

Keele will also welcome students from partner universities across the world as part of the student exchange programme.