TIRF

06/05/2026

📢 Proposal Window Now Open: 2026–2027 TIRF-British Council Research Mentoring Awards (RMA)! 🌍📚
Are you a doctoral student in English language education looking to strengthen your research skills and receive expert mentorship? The TIRF-British Council Research Mentoring Awards (RMA) program is now accepting applications for the 2026–2027 cycle!
Designed to support emerging researchers, the RMA program offers doctoral students tailored mentoring, focused webinars, feedback on research proposals, and opportunities to strengthen research design and development alongside experienced mentors and university supervisors.

✅ Who is eligible to apply?
Doctoral students from eligible countries across Africa, Latin America, East Asia, and Southeast Asia who are conducting research in English language education are encouraged to apply. Applications are welcomed from early-stage doctoral researchers, as well as individuals who have previously applied for TIRF Doctoral Dissertation Grants (DDGs) but were not selected.
To determine your eligibility and view the full list of countries eligible for the TIRF-British Council RMAs, please visit the Eligibility tab on the program webpage:
🔗 https://www.tirfonline.org/tirf-british-council-research.../

💡 What participants receive:
• Online mentoring and focused small-group webinars
• Personalized mentor-mentee pairing for tailored support
• Feedback on research proposal drafts
• A $500 stipend upon successful completion of the mentoring program

📅 Application Deadline: July 27, 2026
📌 Program Timeline: October 2026 – April 2027
🎓 Number of Awards: 4–5 doctoral students will be selected
If you are pursuing doctoral research in English language education and are interested in strengthening your research capabilities while receiving guidance from experienced mentors, this opportunity is for you.

📍Interested in applying? Explore full program details, eligibility requirements, application materials, important deadlines, and the list of eligible countries on the TIRF-British Council Research Mentoring Awards webpage:
🔗 https://www.tirfonline.org/tirf-british-council-research.../.

Questions about the program may be directed to [email protected].

06/02/2026

📢 TIRF is pleased to share that the 27th Midwest Association of Language Testers Conference (MwALT) will take place at the University of Iowa on Saturday, October 10, 2026.

📚 MwALT 2026’s theme is "Language Assessment Through Multiple Lenses: Uses, Innovations, and Impacts." The conference organizers invite proposals for paper presentations and roundtable discussions (including work-in-progress) from teachers, assessment developers, researchers, and graduate students.

📅 Please see the call for proposals at the link below for submission details. The proposal submission deadline is June 30, 2026.

🔗 Visit their website for more details: https://education.uiowa.edu/27th-midwest-association-language-testers-conference

ℹ️Questions and inquiries may be directed to [email protected].

06/01/2026

📣 FINAL NOTICE: Applications Close Today! 📣
Today (Monday, June 1, 2026) is the final day to apply for the 2026 TIRF Bailey Award! 🌍📚 English language teachers around the world are invited to submit their applications before the deadline closes.

This opportunity offers:
✨ $1,000 in funding
✨ Expert mentorship
✨ Support for classroom-based research and professional growth

Whether you are new to research or an experienced educator, the TIRF Bailey Award is designed to help teachers investigate important questions and contribute valuable insights to the field of English language teaching.

Don’t miss this final opportunity to turn your ideas into impactful research.

📅 Deadline: Monday, June 1, 2026 (Today!)
🔗 Learn more and apply: https://www.tirfonline.org/bailey-award/

05/29/2026

Everyone is talking about AI – it’s beginning to get boring.

A huge percentage of talks at English Language Teaching (ELT) conferences is about Generative (Gen) AI – how to bring it into the classroom, which tools to use for conversation practice, or when to support writing skill development.

And as with the Internet, we say things like "we have to adapt to it," or "it’s not going away," or "we can’t let the tools dominate the language learning process." But with GenAI and LLMs (Large Language Models, the text databases that facilitate AI processing), something is different. Yes, we can propose the benefits GenAI might deliver for English learners. But there are also ethical dimensions we need to discuss.

Read more and join the conversation on our Substack:

Editor’s note: “TIRF Perspectives” is a new publications activity from TIRF.

05/28/2026

⏰ The deadline is approaching!

English language teachers around the world are invited to apply for the 2026 TIRF Bailey Award before applications close on Monday, June 1, 2026. 🌍📚

This opportunity offers:
✨ $1,000 in funding
✨ Expert mentorship
✨ Support for classroom-based research and professional growth

Whether you are new to research or an experienced educator, the TIRF Bailey Award is designed to help teachers investigate important questions and contribute valuable insights to the field of English language teaching.
Don’t miss your chance to turn your ideas into impactful research.

📅 Deadline: Monday, June 1, 2026
🔗 Learn more and apply today: https://www.tirfonline.org/bailey-award/

05/22/2026

📢 Proposal Window Now Open: 2026–2027 TIRF-British Council Research Mentoring Awards (RMA)! 🌍📚

Are you a doctoral student in English language education looking to strengthen your research skills and receive expert mentorship? The TIRF-British Council Research Mentoring Awards (RMA) program is now accepting applications for the 2026–2027 cycle!

Designed to support emerging researchers, the RMA program offers doctoral students tailored mentoring, focused webinars, feedback on research proposals, and opportunities to strengthen research design and development alongside experienced mentors and university supervisors.

✅ Who is eligible to apply?
Doctoral students from eligible countries across Africa, Latin America, East Asia, and Southeast Asia who are conducting research in English language education are encouraged to apply. Applications are welcomed from early-stage doctoral researchers, as well as individuals who have previously applied for TIRF Doctoral Dissertation Grants (DDGs) but were not selected.
To determine your eligibility and view the full list of countries eligible for the TIRF-British Council RMAs, please visit the Eligibility tab on the program webpage:
🔗 https://www.tirfonline.org/tirf-british-council-research-mentoring-awards/

💡 What participants receive:
• Online mentoring and focused small-group webinars
• Personalized mentor-mentee pairing for tailored support
• Feedback on research proposal drafts
• A $500 stipend upon successful completion of the mentoring program

📅 Application Deadline: July 27, 2026
📌 Program Timeline: October 2026 – April 2027
🎓 Number of Awards: 4–5 doctoral students will be selected

If you are pursuing doctoral research in English language education and are interested in strengthening your research capabilities while receiving guidance from experienced mentors, this opportunity is for you.

📍Interested in applying? Explore full program details, eligibility requirements, application materials, important deadlines, and the list of eligible countries on the TIRF-British Council Research Mentoring Awards webpage:
🔗 https://www.tirfonline.org/tirf-british-council-research-mentoring-awards/. Questions about the program may be directed to [email protected].

05/22/2026

📯TIRF is pleased to share that applications are now open for the Caroline Clapham IELTS Masters Award 2026. 📣

The IELTS partners — British Council, IDP Education, and Cambridge University Press & Assessment — invite applications for this annual award recognizing a Master’s-level dissertation or thesis in English that makes a significant contribution to the field of language testing.

The research should focus on language testing, though it does not need to be IELTS-related. The award includes a £2,000 prize, and the recipient’s attendance at the Language Testing Research Colloquium (LTRC) will be sponsored by the IELTS Partners.

🗓 Application deadline: 30 June 2026

TIRF also congratulates Elena Gorshkova (Michigan State University, USA), recipient of the 2025 award, for her dissertation examining test takers’ attention to speakers’ non-verbal behaviors in a video-based listening test.

Prospective applicants may find Elena’s reflections on her application and award experience helpful:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ielts-official_ielts-highered-carolineclaphamaward-activity-7455602966150955009-nfCe

Learn more about eligibility and how to apply:
https://ielts.org/researchers/awards-and-scholarships/caroline-clapham-ielts-masters-award

The Caroline Clapham IELTS Masters Award is a £1,000 prize awarded annually. Find out more information about previous winners and how to apply for the…