Completed Education & Skills History, Languages & Philosophy

Education, Languages and Internationalisation Network (ELINET) for ARC Accelerate led

Funder ESRC (part of UKRI)
Recipient organisation University of Exeter Source-published name: University of Exeter
Funding £24K
Period Jul 2025 — Feb 2026

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

Hundreds of universities worldwide are switching to English as their language of instruction, often faster than their staff and students can adapt. This network, led by a scholar who helped create the field of Global Englishes, tackles the gap between policy and practice in English Medium Instruction. The problem is that internationalisation decisions are made without enough awareness of how to implement them effectively, sustainably, and in ways that respect local contexts. At the same time, the global spread of English changes what it means to teach the language itself. The network will connect researchers, educators, and policymakers to build practical knowledge around these twin challenges. If successful, it could reshape how universities in non-English-speaking countries design curricula, train lecturers, and support students—affecting the daily experience of millions who study through a second language. It could also influence how English is taught worldwide, moving away from native-speaker norms toward a model that reflects its role as a global lingua franca. This is applied research with direct implications for education systems, not fundamental science.

View original technical description
The transition to teaching in English across the university sector has become the most significant trend in higher education in the 21st century. However, research highlights that internationalisation policy decisions are running ahead of awareness, capacities and practical knowledge regarding how to implement this policy in effective, context sensitive and sustainable ways. Further, the globalisation of English has numerous implications for how it should be taught as an international language. The ELINET network emerged from my research in the fields of English Medium Instruction (EMI) and Global Englishes, two rapidly growing sub-fields of Applied Linguistics gathering momentum. I am a leading scholar in the former field and established the field of Global Englishes and a new approach to teaching English as a global language (Global Englishes Language Teaching). The research underpinning the venture stems from books (7), chapters (16), research reports (4), articles (23) and a new edited handbook on the globalisation of English. It also stems from externally facing engagement and impact activities, which include the growing popularity of my textbook, invites for advisory work from Ministries of Education and professional organisations and plenary invites at conferences, given the interest in both of these fields.

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Researchers

Nicola Galloway (Principal Investigator)

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Original classification

Research Grant

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