Arts and Humanities Impact Funding

Pre-announcement: University Internal Funding for Impact Projects (AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA))  

Apply for funding to enhance the non-academic impact of arts and humanities research at the University of Cambridge. Applications which support placements for knowledge exchange activities in order to foster partnership working with non-HEI organisations are also welcome. 

You must:  

• be a researcher in the arts and humanities 

• be a senior researcher with a current contract of employment at the University 

• Or be an early career researcher with support from a senior researcher as a Co-Investigator (*NEW*) 

• have approval from the respective Head of Department/Faculty 

The official call will be launched in September 2022 with a provisional closing date in October 2022. 

Total fund: 

A total of £150,000 will be available in two funding calls per year with a maximum amount of £10,000 per award. 

Decisions on bids to the Impact Fund will be made within 2 months of the call closing and projects must be completed within 12 months of the award. 

Early career researchers are now eligible to apply for funding from this scheme for the first time.  

This is a pre-announcement and the information may change. More information will be available on this page when the opportunity opens in late 2022. The closing date is to be confirmed. 

Who can apply 

To apply for impact funding, you must: 

• be a researcher in arts and humanities research that falls within the remit of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). 

• hold a current contract of employment as a senior independent researcher  with the University 

• be a non-school institutional staff member (such as from Museums or Libraries), College-based researcher, College Teaching Office or on an academic-related contract 

• be an early career researcher, such as a postdoctoral researcher or junior research fellow with support from a senior researcher acting as a Co-Investigator  

• have approval from the appropriate Head of Department or Faculty 

• Please note that PhD students are not eligible to apply although they can be supported as Research Assistants on projects led by research staff. 

Purpose of the Awards 

The overall purpose of this fund is to support ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities.  

Awards will be made available to fund work which will significantly increase the probability of the ideas and findings generated by the research having a non-academic impact on the private, public and third sectors. Collaborative, innovative and co-funded projects are encouraged. You can find more information here about the kinds of projects we have supported in the past.  Applications will be assessed against the following criteria: 

• Quality of underlying research: the research underpinning the impact project should be of high quality. 

• Quality of the impact development plan: including clear objectives and milestones against which research teams can gauge medium and long-term successes 

• Identification of the target audiences/constituencies for the project and their potential involvement in the activity to be supported, e.g., through collaboration with other organisations. 

• Quality of management plans demonstrating that responsibilities are appropriately allocated, timeframes are feasible and resources available to meet project objectives.  

• Added value: the application must describe how funds will be expected to develop or enhance the prospect of impact (and complement possible funding from other sources). 

Desirable but not essential criteria: 

• Co-funding of activities to be supported by the Impact Fund is strongly encouraged, but not required.  When activities are aimed at developing impacts targeted at specific organisations, then a clear statement of any commitment in kind or in terms of co-funding by those organisations should be provided. 

• Multi-/Inter-disciplinary approaches can be helpful in addressing challenges related to the execution of impact, and so are encouraged where appropriate. (This is the principal focus of the Cross Disciplinary Strand). 

• Innovative and unusual projects leading to impactful outputs and outcomes. 

Previous projects have included: 

• the development of the online version of the electronic Dictionary of Medieval Irish, including updates and corrections alongside the creation of online teaching and learning resources aimed at developing younger audiences 

• the fostering of discussion among medical practitioners, faith leaders and community representatives, resulting in a shift in the understanding, and practice, of End of Life Care for the UK’s Muslim population 

• a collaboration with major heritage organisations English Heritage and the National Trust, to investigate historic libraries in situ in England’s great houses and organise exhibitions, publications and collaborations that engage with these unexplored collections 

• a collaboration with the Fitzwilliam Museum’s Learning and Exhibitions team and three local groups who regularly take part in activities at the museum to create a film that would play a significant role in a major exhibition 

How to apply 

Guidance on how to apply will be provided when the full funding opportunity is published in September. Both applications and awards for the first round are expected to take place during Michaelmas term.  

Contact details 

Ask a question or get advice about this funding opportunity 

Email: AHImpact@admin.cam.ac.uk  

Include ‘AHRC IAA funding for Impact Projects’ in the subject line. 

We aim to respond to queries as soon as possible. 

Additional info 

The following resources might be useful: 

https://www.research-strategy.admin.cam.ac.uk/impact  [The Pathways to Impact planning tool may be particularly helpful] 

http://www.esrc.ac.uk/research/evaluation-and-impact/what-is-impact/ 

https://impact.ref.ac.uk/casestudies/ 

Opening date: 

To be confirmed 

Closing date: 

To be confirmed