The immediate purpose is to facilitate the exchange of staff, ideas, and technology between UK higher education institutions and those in less developed countries. The ultimate purpose is to contribute to the sustainable development of those countries through the enhanced capacity of their higher education systems. The countries currently included in the scheme are listed in Annex 1. Links involve visits in both directions between the UK and overseas institutions, usually lasting from two weeks to a few months, depending on the objectives.
Most links support a total of four to six visits per year and continue, initially, for three years.
The scheme provides travel and subsistence costs for link visitors and pays for small quantities of books and equipment for the overseas partner. It does not pay any fees. The forms should be completed by both link partners and returned to these offices by November for possible funding the following April. To be approved, links must have well defined objectives in line with DFID's priorities and measurable outputs which will contribute to the country's development. Visit reports and annual reports are submitted to the local British Council office, which manages the link's finances.