AHRC - Specific Requirements:
AHRC - Specific Requirements:
General Guidance
Please comment on the quality and importance of the proposal, including its contribution to enhancing or developing creativity, insights, knowledge and understanding in the area to be studied. In structuring your answer please consider the following:
All schemes:
Aims of the Scheme – Does the proposal meet the aims of the scheme? (see below for details of the schemes)
Overall Quality – please choose from the tick boxes provided to rate the overall quality and importance of the work proposed, using ‘Outstanding’, ‘Very Good’, ‘Good’, ‘Adequate’ or ‘Unsatisfactory
Thematic Programmes Only:
In addition to the general guidance above you should also consider the extent to which the proposal fits the aims of the thematic programme which can be found in the Funding Opportunities area of our website under these headings -
Care for the Future
Connected Communities
Digital Transformations
Science in Culture
Translating Cultures
All schemes except Research Networking and Follow-on Funding for Impact and Engagement:
Research question(s), issue(s) or problem(s) – For a proposal to be considered eligible for support, it must define a series of research questions, issues or problems that will be addressed in the course of the research. It must also define its objectives in terms of seeking to enhance knowledge and understanding relating to the questions or problems to be addressed. Are the research question(s) or problem(s) clearly defined? How important is it that these questions should be addressed? Are these the appropriate questions given the aims and objectives, context and methods outlined?
Research context – For a proposal to be considered eligible for support, it must specify a research context for the questions, issues or problems to be addressed. It must specify why it is important that these particular questions, issues or problems should be addressed; what other research is being or has been conducted in this area; and what particular contribution this project will make to the advancement of creativity, insights, knowledge and understanding in this area. Has the applicant placed their proposal in an appropriate context, giving due consideration to other work in the area and the range of audiences that might be targeted?
Research methods – For a proposal to be considered eligible for support, it must specify the research methods for addressing and answering the research questions or problems. It must state how, in the course of the research project, it will seek to answer the questions, address the issues or solve the problems. It should also explain the rationale for its chosen research methods and why they provide the most appropriate means by which to address the research questions, issues or problems. Has the applicant provided an adequate rationale for their chosen research methods? Do the research methods provide an appropriate means by which to answer the research questions?
Leadership Fellows Scheme - Additional criteria
In addition to considering the Quality and Importance of the research aspects of the proposal, you should also consider the appropriateness, feasibility and potential of the proposed leadership development activities as outlined in the Case for Support and Head of Department statement.
Research Networking only:
Aims and objectives – Are they realistic given the resources and timetables specified? What will be the impact if the aims are achieved?
Research potential – how significant and important are the thematic areas to be explored? What is the potential for the proposed activities to lead to advances in knowledge and understanding in the fields concerned and/or new high quality interdisciplinary research projects?
Follow-on Funding for Impact and Engagement only:
Aims and objectives – Are the proposed activities genuinely innovative and creative and are they aimed at new audiences and user communities. Is there a well–defined non-academic need for the project and have they demonstrated engagement with potential users and stakeholders in defining the project? Are the activities and chosen methods of delivery likely to deliver the proposed outcomes and impact?
Knowledge Transfer activities - Does the proposal constitute a well-defined programme of knowledge exchange activity that is founded on completed, high-quality arts and humanities research? Is the original research clearly identified and does this project constitute a genuine impact opportunity arising from that research? If the original research was not Arts and Humanities based, is the Follow-on proposal genuinely based within an Arts and Humanities field?
Transformative effect – Does the research have the potential to have a transformative effect enhancing the value of the original research to deliver significant economic, social, cultural and / or policy impacts, beyond the world of academia? Will there be a long-term impact on the partner organisations or user communities and is it likely to be sustainable beyond the end of the formal project? Is there evidence to support this?
Collaborative Doctoral Awards only:
Aims and objectives - Are they realistic given the resources and timetables specified? Do they fit the requirements of doctoral research? Do the research questions allow for the nominated student to develop their own thesis within the project? Does the project provide genuine scope for high quality doctoral research within the relevant subject area?
Where more than one studentship has been requested please consider whether the project can sustain the requested number and that sufficient resources and support will be available.
Scheme Aims
Research Grants (Standard, Early Career)
The aims of this scheme are:
To assist researchers in all areas of the arts and humanities to realise their potential to improve the breadth and depth of our knowledge of human culture both past and present.
To support well-defined research projects of the highest quality and standards that will lead to significant advances in creativity, insights, knowledge and understanding, of interest and value both to the research community and to a wider public.
To enable researchers to pursue, and bring to completion in due time, collaborative research projects that demand the resources of more than a single scholar, enhance collaboration between researchers in academic departments, and establish or enhance effective working relationships with fellow researchers, practitioners and those who support, undertake and utilise research beyond the academic base.
To provide opportunities for less experienced researchers to develop their expertise and their careers by working collaboratively with senior researchers on well-defined projects and by leading projects themselves.
To maximise the value of research outcomes by facilitating and promoting their dissemination both to the research community and to as broad a public as possible.
Leadership Fellows (standard and early career routes)
The Leadership Fellows scheme has the following aims:
To support research projects which have the potential to generate a transformative impact on their subject area and beyond, and/or are of exceptional intellectual scope and importance, which cannot effectively be supported though routine provision of sabbaticals or other forms of research leave funded through QR, and which are of wide benefit to the research community;
To develop capacity for research leadership in the arts and humanities through the support and development of knowledge and skills in areas such as: intellectual leadership; creativity and innovation; development of capacity in emerging research areas, methods or approaches; interdisciplinary facilitation; developing cross-institutional research; international collaboration; project management; inspiring other researchers; development of key skills in the communication of research within and beyond the academy; knowledge exchange and engagement with non-academic partners or wider publics.
To sustain and enhance research capacity in areas which may currently be under-supported for a variety of reasons;
To support the AHRC in delivering its strategic priorities and national capability needs.
For Leadership Fellows funded through the early career route specifically, the following additional aims apply:
To develop the experience and capabilities of early career researchers in a crucial phase of their careers as they establish themselves and develop beyond doctoral and immediate post-doctoral work;
To enable the production of high quality innovative research that moves significantly beyond doctoral projects;
To provide opportunities for Fellows under the early career route to develop their research management skills, including - where appropriate - people management through supervision of a research assistant.
Research Networking
To support interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers within the arts and humanities, colleagues in other disciplines and where appropriate non academic colleagues, to explore a particular theme, issue or subject area.
To enable interdisciplinary groups of researchers to explore ideas which could lead to tangible projects and maximise opportunities for advances in creativity, insights, knowledge and understanding in the area to be explored, with results of value both to the arts and humanities research community and to other contexts where they can make a difference.
To encourage and enable researchers within the research community to involve new researchers and research students, as well as people or organisations from outside the research community, in the discussion and development of ideas.
To foster (where appropriate) international collaboration with overseas researchers, in order to develop understanding through engagement with different cultures and parts of the world, and to enhance research standards.
To support interdisciplinary groups of researchers who wish to advance rapidly thinking on a particular theme or issue in order to enhance knowledge and understanding (workshops awards)
To encourage the establishment of interdisciplinary networks of researchers where the impact of the interaction will extend beyond the life of the award (networks awards)
To provide a framework for the AHRC to learn of emerging areas of intellectual urgency and potential strategic importance, both within the UK and internationally.
Follow-on Funding Scheme for Impact and Engagement Scheme
Aims to support innovative and creative engagements with new audiences and user communities which stimulate pathways to impact. Funds will be awarded for knowledge exchange, public engagement, dissemination and commercialisation activities that arise unforeseeably during the lifespan of or following an AHRC-funded project. The scheme does not support supplementary funding for continuation of research activities.
Proposals must clearly demonstrate both a well-defined non-academic need for the work and engagement with potential users and stakeholders in developing their project. Proposed activities must enhance the value and wider benefit of the original AHRC-funded research project, and clearly demonstrate how they will deliver significant economic, social, cultural and/or policy impacts.
The aims of the Follow-on Funding Scheme are:
To explore unforeseen pathways to potential impact either within the lifespan of an AHRC research project or resulting from a completed research project.
To enhance the value and benefits of AHRC-funded research beyond academia;
To encourage and facilitate a range of interactions and creative engagements between arts and humanities research and a variety of user communities including business and commercial, third sector and heritage sector, public policy, voluntary and community groups and the general public.
Types of activity supported by this scheme might include:
Knowledge exchange, public engagement or active dissemination activities which engage new user communities and audiences.
Commercialisation or proof of concept.
Activities that build upon knowledge exchange and impact pathways already undertaken.
Conferences and seminars for a policy/practice audience.
Pursuit and development of new user contacts.
Feasibility studies to test the potential application of ideas emerging from the research in different business, policy or practice contexts.
The Follow-on Funding Scheme is not intended to:
Support pathway to impact activities that have already been taken into account (i.e. included as part of the original projects outputs and impacts and funded as such)
Extend an existing grant or award or to continue similar or existing activities or conduct further research.
Support resource enhancement activities or to develop or extend an existing website.
Cover research leave type activities or primarily fund staff time.
Support principally academic outputs (such as an academic paper, conference or a publication)
Collaborative Doctoral Awards
Collaborative awards are intended to encourage and develop collaboration between Higher Education Institution (HEI) departments and non-academic organisations and businesses.
Collaborative research studentships provide opportunities for doctoral students to gain first hand experience of work outside an academic environment. The support provided by both an academic and non-academic supervisor enhances the employment-related skills and training a research student gains during the course of their award.
The studentships also encourage and establish links that can have benefits for both collaborating partners, providing access to resources and materials, knowledge and expertise that may not otherwise have been available and also provide social, cultural and economic benefits to wider society.
EPSRC - Specific Requirements:
EPSRC reviewer guidance and the specific assessment criteria for each scheme is available on the EPSRC website at https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/assessmentprocess/review/
If the proposal has been submitted in response to a published call, you are asked to read that call document and to make your assessment of the application within the context of the aims, objectives and specific assessment criteria for that call. The call document can be found on the EPSRC Website following this link: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/calls/.