AHRC Strategy, Programmes and Future Directions

Professor Shearer WestDirector of Research

Political Contexts: Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills

• From April 2009: Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and BERR joined to become BIS (Department of Business, Innovation and Skills)

• BIS oversees both sides of dual support (approx 80% of a + h funding from QR)

Funding Contexts: The Dual Support SystemQuality-related Funding allocated by the Funding Councils of England, Scotland,

Wales and Northern Ireland. £1.5 billion in 2008-09 distributed by block grant to universities on basis of Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) results. Distributed retrospectively.

Research Council Funding Annual investment of c. £1.3 billion in research in UK universities, c. £500 million in their own Research Institutes, and c. £300 million in access to international facilities for UK researchers. Distributed in advance of project on basis of peer review.

Funding Contexts: Research CouncilsSeven UK Research Councils form the collective entity Research Councils UK (RCUK):

Arts and Humanities Research CouncilEconomic and Social Research CouncilEngineering and Physical Sciences Research CouncilBiotechnology and Biological Sciences Research CouncilScience and Technology Facilities CouncilNatural Environment Research CouncilMedical Research Council

AHRCHistory:• AHRB (splinter of British Academy) formed

1998• AHRC Royal Charter April 2005• Over the last four years the AHRC has

benefited from a 35% uplift in funding, from £80.5 million in 2005/06 to £109 million announced for 2010/11

AHRC

Scope:• 27% of research-active academic community

within AHRC remit• Over 14,000 academics• Approximately 50 disciplines/sub-disciplines• AHRC receives 2.8% of the science and research

budget

AHRC

Quality:

Arts and humanities research received the highest percentage of 4* ratings in the 2008 RAE

‘Future Directions’ consultation • February to May 2009

• Initial analysis identified

emerging themes

• Themes published on

website for further consultation

• Emerging themes to Council and

Advisory Board

• Council discussing prioritising for

2012 onwards

Strategic PrioritiesAdvancing UK’s world-leading

reputation for researchStrengthening value and impact of arts

and humanities researchEnhancing the role of arts and

humanities in cross-disciplinary support for research on societal challenges

Building capacity through further strategic consolidation of postgraduate funding, including support for both endangered areas and key skills

Strategic PrioritiesProviding opportunities forresearchers to work outside HE andoutside the UK throughout theirresearch careers

Through more strategic targeting ofpartnerships and greater brokerageactivities, developing the capacity ofarts and humanities research to:

influence public policyengage with the creative

economyhave an impact internationallyhave greater profile with the public

Core Arts and Humanities Areas

History, Thought, Systems of Belief

Creative and Performing Arts

Cultures and Heritage

Languages and Literatures

Current Strategic Programmes

Design in the 21st centuryLandscape and Environment

Beyond TextDiasporas, Migration and IdentityReligion and Society (with ESRC)

Science and Heritage (with EPSRC)

Emerging Arts and Humanities Research Challenges

• Digital Transformations in Arts and Humanities

• Translating Cultures• Care for the Future: Thinking

forward through the Past• Science and Culture

Preparing for highlighted calls in each of these areas in coming months

RCUK Strategic Programmes which include AHRC

Digital Economy

Global Uncertainties

Living with Environmental Change

Lifelong Heath and Wellbeing

Cross-Council Programme in Development: Connected Communities

• AHRC lead

• Working group with EPSRC,

ESRC, MRC and NERC

• Expert group being

established

• Summit to be held in summer

•Events planned with

Department of CLG and Young

Foundation

•Launch planned within year

Main types of support

Open responsive calls

Thematically responsive calls

Commissioned research

Principal Mechanisms

Research Grants (up to £1 million and including early career and ‘speculative’ route)

Fellowships (including policy and KT Fellowships)

Networks

Studentships

Knowledge Transfer

• AHRC/BBC outcomes

• AHRC/BT scheme

• Policy work (Fellowships

and seminars, work with

Scottish Funding Council)

• Creative Industries,

Technology and Innovation

Network

• Working with the

Technology Strategy Board

International

• RCUK Priority Countries

• HERA Programmes (18/19

HERA awards with UK partners)

• AHRC / DFG

• Cultural Heritage Joint

Programming Initiative

• Net Heritage

• Joint funding with NSF

RCUK Definition of Impact

The demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to society and the economy. Economic impact embraces all the diverse ways in which research related knowledge and skills benefit individuals, organisations and nations by:

RCUK Definition of Impact

• Fostering economic competitiveness• Increasing the effectiveness of public services

and public policy• Enhancing quality of life, health and creative

output

What Impact Encompasses• monetary impacts• improvement of public services• contribution to public policy• ‘human capital’• contribution to quality of life

IMPACT IS ABOUT THE MANY FORMS OF BENEFIT AND VALUE THAT RESEARCH BRINGS TO PEOPLE AND ORGANISATIONS OUTSIDE THE ACADEMY

How Arts and Humanities Research Demonstrates Benefit and Value

Benefits to business e.g. creation of new products involving fine artists and designers, such as ‘Design against Crime’ products, used by pubs and coffee shops (e.g. Starbucks)

How Arts and Humanities Research Demonstrates Benefit and Value

Bike off 2: D21 Research GrantImpacts:

on designon public policyon societyon economy

How Arts and Humanities Research Demonstrates Benefit and value

improvement of public services e.g. research feeding into museums, galleries, and other public sector organisations through Collaborative Doctoral awards; Shah Abbas exhibition at British Museum

How Arts and Humanities Research Demonstrates Benefit and Value

contribution to public policye.g. House of Commons Select Committee use of findings from Edinburgh Centre for Intellectual Property; Policy Seminars on Policing and Counter-Terrorism and on Human Rights; Home Office use of research from ‘Religion and Society’ programme

How Arts and Humanities Research Demonstrates Benefit and Value

‘human capital’• 535,000 undergraduates and postgraduates

studying arts and humanities subjects at any one time

• 145,000 arts and humanities graduates per year• 75% of AHRC-funded Ph.D.s are in academic posts• Overseas research students bring in £2 billion per

annum to the UK economy

How Arts and Humanities Research Demonstrates Benefit and Value

Quality of life• enhancing intellectual life, divergent thinking and

tolerance; building on centuries of heritage, maintenance and growth of cultural richness

• Indirect economic impact through encouraging inward investment and tourism

Quality of Life: Public Engagement

• Broadcast media

• Exhibitions

• Community history

• Museums and galleries

• Film

• Family genealogy

• Digital inclusion

Public Engagement (cont.)

• Archaeology

• Performing arts

• Schools curriculum

Ways of Achieving Benefit and Value: Knowledge Exchange

The processes by which new knowledge is co-produced through interactions between academic and non-academic individuals and communities.

Recognition that this is usually a process of exchange

Range of KE partners in the Arts and Humanities

• Commercial• Cultural and heritage sectors• Performance organisations • Broadcasting, film, games and media• Public policy• Professional practitioners• Third sector

Beneficiaries and Impact section of grants forms

• Recognition that impacts cannot always be predicted; asking for potential ‘pathways to impact’ and potential beneficiaries, not for a prediction of impact

• Opportunities for research community to grow capacity for non-academic benefits

• Intended to boost the profile of arts and humanities research with other stakeholders and the public

• Not intended to be used as a sanction but to encourage academics to engage with others outside the academic community

• World-class research where impact arguments cannot be made will not be disadvantaged