International programmes

International Policy Committee
Committee for British Academy-Sponsored Institutes and Societies (BASIS)

International Policy Committee

The International Policy Committee keeps under review all aspects of the Academy's policy regarding international relations, and advises Council on the financial resources required to meet objectives. It develops appropriate programmes for the conduct of overseas policy and monitors their effectiveness.  It ensures the sound management of its financial resources. The Committee oversees the Academy’s membership of appropriate international organisations and supervises the conduct of negotiations with foreign academies and other institutions for academic visits and exchanges and for such other forms of international collaboration as may promote the objects of the Academy and the interests of scholars from the UK. 

The International Policy Committee has six sub-committees, which advise on issues relating to specific geographical areas: Africa, China, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and South Asia.  More details can be found on the Academy website: www.britac.ac.uk/intl/area_panels.html

Membership

Terms of reference

The terms of reference for the International Policy Committee are:

• to keep under review all aspects of the Academy's policy regarding international relations, and advise Council;
• to advise Council on the financial resources required to meet objectives;
• to develop appropriate programmes for the conduct of overseas policy and to monitor their effectiveness;
• to ensure the sound management of financial resources as provided by Council and obtained from other sources for international and overseas programmes;
• to oversee the Academy's membership of appropriate international organisations such as the Union Académique Internationale and the European Science Foundation;
• to supervise the conduct of negotiations with foreign academies and other institutions for academic visits and exchanges and for such other forms of international collaboration as may promote the objects of the Academy and the interests of scholars from the U.K.;
• to report to Council after each meeting.

Committee for British Academy-Sponsored Institutes and Societies (BASIS)

As part of the Academy’s strategy for international engagement, BASIS sponsors, shapes and develops a set of research institutes and learned societies that enable British and international research, networking and collaboration in geographical areas of interest and importance.  It frames the annual budget and funding programme, advises Council on the resources needed from the Academy’s grant-in-aid, and ensures that the individual organisations’ own objectives and activities effectively contribute to the Academy’s Strategic Framework.  BASIS scrutinises, evaluates and monitors organisations’ plans, financial bids, performance and expenditure. 

Membership

Terms of reference

The terms of reference for BASIS are:

• to oversee the work of the overseas Institutes and Societies sponsored by the Academy, with particular regard to those activities supported from public funds;
• to advise Council on the resources needed from the Academy’s grant-in-aid to support the work of the Institutes and Societies;
• to establish a Forum in which representatives of the Institutes and Societies can discuss together and with the members of the BASIS general issues of policy and maters of common interest, and contribute to the development and dissemination of good practice amongst them;
• to prepare, in consultation with the Institutes and Societies, and to review annually, an overall mission statement in which the Academy’s aims and objectives in supporting the various institutions are set out;
• to ensure that the individual institutions’ own mission statements and objectives and the overall mission statement are in harmony;
• to develop, in consultation with the Institutes and Societies, a co-ordinated strategy for the framing of their forward looks and financial bids to Council, together with appropriate funding mechanisms;
• to scrutinise and evaluate institutions plans, financial bids and programmes of activities, and to ensure peer review of their research plans and fieldwork programmes;
• to distribute to the Institutes and Societies the funds allocated by Council; and to monitor their performance and expenditure;
• to seek new ways in which the Institutes and Societies can serve the needs of the research community in the UK and facilitate its work overseas in as wide a range of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences as possible;
• to oversee the work of the Council for British Archaeology, with particular regard to those activities supported from the Academy’s grant-in-aid; to advise Council on the resources needed to support its work; and to monitor its performance and expenditure;
• to report annually to Council.

A list of organisations supported by BASIS is available at: http://www.britac.ac.uk/institutes/index.html

The Chief Executive/Secretary is ex officio a member of all Academy committees