The British Embassy Riyadh published a call on 4 September 2026 for concept notes under the Gulf Strategy Fund for a project assessing Saudi Arabia's special educational needs reforms and opportunities for UK providers. The notice set a submission deadline of 21 September 2026, with successful implementers to be invited to submit full proposals on 3 October 2026 and funding decisions communicated in mid-October 2026. The source stated a funding range of £60,000 to £80,000 and a budget ceiling of £80,000 inclusive of all delivery, administrative and staffing costs.

The planned project was to examine Saudi legal and regulatory provisions, map stakeholders, assess provision and market gaps, and identify market-entry requirements for UK SEN operators, professional bodies, specialist schools, training organisations and education-technology companies. Concept notes were open to organisations based in the UK or Saudi Arabia, led by a single accountable implementer. SEN or SEND expertise and Saudi legal capability, including review of Arabic-language sources, were stated minimum requirements.

Delivery was planned for February 2027 within the financial year, with milestone-based payments in arrears. The notice said outputs would be used by the FCDO, the embassy, the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Education and the UK SEN sector.