1978
The British Council was established in the Philippines
1980
The British Council inaugurates its Centre and the Library in New Manila, Quezon City.
1980s-1990s
British Council spearheaded various events and programmes to introduce and promote UK culture and arts in the Philippines.
1996
The British Council office relocated to Taipan Place in Ortigas Centre, the central business district of Pasig City. The Information Centre was also officially opened to the public.
1998
The British Council conducted its first Education UK Fair in Manila to promote UK education in the Philippines.
2000
The Knowledge Learning Centre was formally opened, updating the English language school established earlier in 1999.
2003
The British Council celebrated its 25th Anniversary by becoming the representative of the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music in the Philippines. Since then, the British Council has been conducting both Theory and Practical examinations for the Royal School of Music.
2010
The organisation opened its IELTS Resource Centre (previously Knowledge Learning Centre), a library and repository of review materials for IELTS test preparations.
2011
In partnership with SME Networks Philippines Training Centre, the British Council opened the first IELTS Resource Centre in Cebu.
2014
The Newton Agham Programme was inaugurated. For nine years, the UK and the Philippines, through the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), have awarded 27 PhD Scholarships, 21 Institutional Links, 11 Researcher Links Workshops, five Researcher Links Travel Grants, and two STEM Education Programme grants.
2016
Joint Development of Niche Programmes through Philippine-UK Linkages (JDNP) Project was launched with CHED. A pilot project on transnational education (TNE) in the Philippines, it produced 17 joint, dual and double postgraduate degree programmes and had so far supported over 100 graduates.
The European Union awarded the contract for the Justice Sector Reform Programme: Governance in Justice (GoJUST) to a consortium of organisations under the leadership of the British Council.
2018
The British Council started offering IELTS on Computer (IoC).
The Creative Innovators Programme was launched in the Philippines, aimed to contribute to more sustainable and impact-led creative hubs that can better support the country’s creative industries.
2019
Connections Through Culture Grants was launched in Southeast Asia, supporting collaborations in the arts between the UK and East Asia.
2020
The Woven Networks Programme was launched in partnership with Forest Foundation as part of the British Council’s global Crafting Futures programme that aims for a sustainable future through making and collaboration.
A Pillar-Assessed Contribution Agreement (PACA) for the provision of Technical Assistance for the Justice Sector Reform Programme: Governance in Justice II (GOJUST II) was awarded to the British Council by the European Union, paving the way to innovate and streamline justice reform for a more efficient, effective, and accountable formal justice system in the Philippines.
2021
Access and Competitiveness through Internationalisation of Higher Education (ACT-IHE) was launched with CHED as second phase to JDNP. The on-going programme aims to produce five new dual degree programmes in engineering, health sciences, education, computer technology and biology.
2022
The first ever British Council’s initiative on English as a Mediun of Education (EME) programme was implemented in collaboration with CHED. The EME training, designed to support internationalisation, provided professional development opportunity for 50 Master Trainers and over 1,000 university academics trained across 17 regions.
2023
The British Council signed its first MOU with DTI to support the creative economy and the implementation of the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act (PCIDA). The organisation also signed a multi-year MOU with the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) supporting the comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the performance of the Philippine education sector.
GOJUST supported the establishment and operationalisation of twelve (12) Justice Zones nationwide in the cities of Angeles, Bacolod, Balanga, Baguio, Calamba, Cebu, Davao, Naga, Puerto Princesa, Quezon City, Tagaytay and Zamboanga.
2024
The first Study UK Alumni Awards was launched in the Philippines. The awards aim to recognise outstanding achievements of Filipino UK alumni across four categories: science and sustainability, culture, social engagement, and business.