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Arts Humanities and Social Sciences Research

 

The AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) (previously the Arts and Humanities Impact Fund, or AHIF) aims to enhance the non-academic impact of arts and humanities research at the University of Cambridge.

It supports ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities, which enable researchers at all levels to engage with the public, private and third sectors, and provides a sustainable support structure within the University to promote wider and more effective engagement with external non-academic organisations.

The Fund is intended to contribute to the University’s objectives for Knowledge Exchange (KE) which enable researchers to engage proactively and effectively with external partners to drive socioeconomic impact through the exchange, translation and application of knowledge.

If you would like to discuss your project idea please approach the Impact Facilitator Dr Lucy Sheerman AHimpact@admin.cam.ac.uk. The AHRC subject remit is covered in the AHRC Funding Guide (section 7). Other research councils such as the ESRC and EPSRC run Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAAs) with regular internal funding calls at Cambridge. Please check if you are eligible to apply for these if your research falls within their funding remit.

 

Below: Abigail Brundin, Professor of Italian, shares her experience of participating in exciting collaborations with heritage organisations. For more interviews about impactful research in the Arts and Humanities, visit the Resources page.

The purpose of the IAA is to support and promote the following types of activity:

  1. Activities to broaden the experience of engagement with business, NGOs and the public and third sectors.  This can cover deepening and strengthening relationships with existing contacts as well as establishing new contacts.
  2. Collaboration with public, private and third sector organisations
  3. Developing and promoting new engagement methods to help promote best practice across arts and humanities knowledge areas.
  4. Short projects to define routes to impact, liaising with partners and finding the resources to enhance impact activities will be eligible.  This would include, but is not limited to, holding a workshop to scope interest with a suite of external organisations that would ideally lead to a further impact project.
  5. Innovative and unusual projects leading to impactful outputs and outcomes.
  6. Larger scale, cross-disciplinary opportunities for impact through strategic impact partnerships

 

2022-2023 AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA))

AHRC Impact Acceleration Account 

 

The AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) (previously the Arts and Humanities Impact Fund, or AHIF) aims to enhance the non-academic impact of arts and humanities research at the University of Cambridge. 

It supports ‘on the ground’ impact and knowledge exchange activities, which enable researchers at all levels to engage with the public, private and third sectors, and provides a sustainable support structure within the University to promote wider and more effective engagement with external non-academic organisations. 

  1. Open Calls 

The AHRC IAA Impact Fund Call

now open to support knowledge exchange and impact projects within Arts and Humanities disciplines  

  • Call opens: 23rd January 2023. 

  • Call closes: 25th March 2023 at 4pm.

  • Awards are for between £5,000 and £15,000.  

  • Project duration: up to 12 months, 

 

The AHRC IAA Early Career Researcher Call 

now open to support early career researchers in their knowledge exchange and impact projects within Arts and Humanities disciplines  

  • Call opens: 23rd January 2023. 

  • Call closes: 25th March 2023 at 4pm,

  • Awards are for between £5,000 and £10,000.  

  • Project duration: up to 12 months, 

 

The All-Council Rapid Response Impact Acceleration Account Call

is now open to support a wide range of impact activities when researchers are confronted by time-sensitive opportunities or need to test new ideas quickly 

  • Call opens: 12 January 2023 (applications accepted on a rolling basis),

  • Final deadline for applications: 4 September 2023 at 16:00, 

  • Awards are up to £15,000 per application, 

  • Project duration: up to three months,

 

  1. Who can Apply? 

The AHRC IAA Impact Fund is open to Principal Investigators employed within a University department with project proposals within the AHRC remit

AHRC IAA Early Career Researcher Call is open to early career researcher, e.g. JRFs, Post-docs, BA/Leverhulme fellows, with project proposals within the AHRC remit. Applicants will require a senior researcher to act as a Co-Investigator, to benefit from existing experience in grant management and to facilitate mutual learning between research staff.   

  1. What can be funded?  

Applications to both calls should can be used for a wide range of activities, including but not limited to:  

  • Activities targeting policy, business and the third sectors.  

  • proof-of-concept studies and/or trials.  

  • Performances of dramatic or musical works.  

  • Exhibitions & public engagement activities.  

  • The production of software, websites etc.   

  • Engagement with schools/educational institutions.  

  • Monitoring and evaluation of achieved impact.   

 

  1. Application Process 

 

Application is via the online IAA Application System. Please submit PDF versions of:  

 

  • A completed AHRC IAA application form, including HoD signature.   

  • A PDF copy of the project costing from X5.  

  • A letter of support from external partner (if applicable).  

  • A Gantt chart showing the intended timeline of your project may be provided (optional).  

 

Application forms are available from Dr Lucy Sheerman, the AHRC IAA Coordinator (AHimpact@admin.cam.ac.uk

 

  1. Queries and Guidance 

 

Please click here for guidance documents for the AHRC IAA Impact Fund Call and AHRC IAA Early Career Researcher Call.  

 

There will be two training sessions aimed at supporting applications to the Impact Fund this term:  

 

  • Engaged Researcher Training: Introduction to Impact  

A general introduction to Impact and to applying to the AHRC IAA Fund on Wednesday 8 February 10:30 – 11:45. To register please follow this link.

  • DTP Training: Impact and Legacy

An introduction to Impact for PhD students. DTP Training, online. To register please follow this link.   

All applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss your project with Dr Lucy Sheerman (AHimpact@admin.cam.ac.uk) before application.  

Past AHIF Awards

 

 

2021-2022 Awards Project Leads
Berlin Exhibition 2023 Dr Maximilian Sternberg and Dr Sofia Singler

Developing a communications forum for 'The Cambridge Seminar on the Future of the Island of Ireland'

Dr Niamh Gallagher and Prof Eugenio Biagini
Telling their stories: Using collection interpretation to build capacity, skills and engagement in small museums of local history Dr Rachel Hooper and Dr Dacia Viejo-Rose
Prick Up Your Ears Dr Rebecca Barr and Dr Diarmuid Hester
Nuclear Policy Story listening Exercise: Learning from 20th century nuclear story-policy-publics interaction to inform present and future UK nuclear policy” Prof Sarah Dillon
Romeyka Exhibition in Athens Prof Ionna Sitaridou
Medieval London Murder Map Prof Manuel Eisner 
Gaming the Industrial Revolution Dr Alexis Litvine and Prof Amy Erickson

2020-2021 Awards

Project Leads

Unfolding - London Design Biennale 2021 Dr Antiopi Koronaki, Dr Michael Ramage, Dr Ana Gatóo
Travelling in Ancient Sumer: Urban Studies and Sensory Archaeology to Recreate Ancient Sumer Dr Augusta McMahon, Dr Marie-Françoise Besnier
Community Engagement in the Redisplay of Egyptian Objects at the Fitzwilliam Museum Dr Helen Strudwick
Archaeological Heritage Conservation, Stakeholders Forum, and Public engagement Dr Abidemi Babalola
Developing a National Cataloguing Standard for Medieval Religious and Secular Seals Dr Philippa Hoskin
Owned by Everyone: The Cultural and Ecological Importance of Chalk Streams Dr Mark Wormald

Sonic Accompaniment to Birth in the Jewish Sahara

Dr Vanessa Paloma Elbaz, Prof. Katherine Ellis

Love Letters to a Liveable Future: In Digital Performance

Dr Zoe Svendsen

Marvelous Micromuseums

Dr Dacia Viejo Rose, Rachel Hooper, Victoria Mitchell

New Digital Framework for Hidden Histories

Dr Chris Burgess, Dr Lucy Delap, Dr Ben Griffen

2019-2020 Awards

Project Leads

Secondary Education and Social Change in the UK after 1945Secondary Education and Social Change in UK since 1945

Prof. Peter Mandler, Dr Laura Carter, Dr Chris Jeppesen

Jomon Matsuri: Changing Perceptions of the Japenese Past, Contemporary Art and Archaeological Enquiry

Dr Liliana Janik

Scripture and Violence: Resources to Help Stakeholders in Their Efforts to Change Prevalent Attitudes

Dr Daniel Weiss, Dr Julia Snyder, Dr Giles Waller

Forma: Vernacular Building for Sustainability

Dr Wesam Al Asali, Dr Michael Ramage

A Publicly Available Geographical Information System (GIS) Boundary Dataset and Gazetteer for Mapping Data in Historic English Parishes

Dr Alice Reid, Dr Leigh Shaw-Talyor

Florence 4D: Tailoring Augmented Reality Smartphone Apps for Impact

Dr Donal Cooper

Building the Indus Civilisation in Minecraft: Digital Heritage, Alternative Pasts, Coding, and Student Imagination

Dr Adam Green, Dr Cameron Petrie

Arabic Phonics: Development of a Research-led Toolkit for Teachers of Arabic

Dr Saussan Khalil

Ways of Seeing: Jacopo del Sellaio's story of Cupid and Psyche in Augmented Reality

Dr Donal Cooper, Dr Kate Noble, Dr Paola Ricciardi, Mr Dan Pett

Rosenöl und Deutscher Geist: The Fortunes of Intellectual History in Germany

Prof. Richard Bourke

Good Practice in Digital Commemorations of the Holocaust

Dr Gillian Carr

Recording Decisions and Actions connected with Claims for the Removal/Protection of Statues in UK Civic Spaces during the Summer of 2020

Prof. Marie Louise Stig Sorensen

A Good Death? Explorations of Dying Well

Dr Laura Davies

Life Under The Sun: Amarna Children's Website

Dr Kate Spence

Learning Together: Introduction to French Literature and Film in HMP Whitemoor

Dr Emma Gilby

Community Heritage and Education for Sustainable Development in Tanzania

Prof. Paul Lane

Writing in the Ancient World

Dr Philippa Steele

2018-2019 Awards

Project Leads

City Women in the Eighteenth Century

Dr Amy Erickson

Phish and ChYpPS: Using digital technologies in the heritage sector to engagepatients and participants in health and wellbeing programmes

Mr Daniel Pett

Hiraeth: An arts outreach programme for unaccompanied asylum seeking children in Cambridgeshire

Dr Brechtje Post, Prof. Ianthi Tsimpli

Timber Towers of Tomorrow: Explore the science and engineering of super talltimber from cells to skyscrapers

Dr Michael Ramage

Children of the ICTY

Dr Maja Spanu

Firing Like the Romans 2: Construction of a Roman Potter's Workshop

Dr Simon Stoddart

My Little Enlightenment Plays

Dr Sophie Seita

An Account of Italy: Audley End and the Grand Tour

Prof. Abigail Brundin

'A Good Death': Explorations of Dying Well

Dr Laura Davies, Dr Emma Salgard-Cunha

EAT FEAST FAST: Material Culture and Food Memories in Contemporary Cambridge Communities

Dr Melissa Calaresu, Dr Victoria Avery

Romeyka: Let's Speak It!

Dr Ioanna Sitaridou

Women of the Avant-Garde: The American Surrealist Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012)

Dr Alyce Mahon

Factory of the Future: Producing International Impact of Performance Research

Dr Zoe Svendsen

Ashurbanipal: the Last Great King of Assyria

Dr Selena Wisnom, Dr Martin Worthington

Learning Pontic Greek: A Pedagogical Impact Project

Dr Ioanna Sitaridou

Learning Together: Introduction to French Literature and Film in HMP Whitemoor

Dr Emma Gilby

Liszt’s Unheard Opera: Sardanapalo

Dr David Trippett

2017-2018 Awards

Project Leads

The Pop-Up Museum: Ancient Egyptian Coffins at the Fitzwilliam

Dr Julia Dawson, Dr Helen Strudwick

Kepler’s Harmonies

Dr Tim Watts

Scripture and Violence

Dr Daniel Weiss

Text and Meaning: the Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language as Treasure-Trove

Prof. Máire Ní Mhaonaigh

Sharing the Amarna Story: Coproducing a Community Learning Resource

Dr Kate Spence

Early Modern Parisian Soundscapes

Dr Nick Hammond

Changing Public Perceptions of Ancient Mesopotamia

Dr Martin Worthington, Dr Selena Wisnom

Materialising the Digital Archive: Multi-Media Tennyson

Dr Ewan Jones

Restoring Lost Songs

Dr Sam Barrett

Narrating Climate Change in the Colombian Caribbean

Dr Rory O'Bryen

An Account of Italy: Audley End and the Grand Tour

Prof. Abigail Brundin

Electronic Shakespeare

Prof. Peter deBolla, Mr Scott Mandelbrote

New Light on Newton

Mr Huw Jones

Mind Your Language: Focus on Valencia

Prof. Dominic Keown

Scores of Scores

Dr Mark Gotham

Architecture for Resilience in China

Dr Emily So

Bruno Munari: The Lightness of Art

Dr Pierpaolo Antonello

Firing Like the Romans

Dr Simon Stoddart

Polychromy Matters

Dr Victoria Avery

Playing Medieval Lives

Prof. John Robb

Pursuing best Practice in Supporting Muslim Service Users in Community Probation Contexts

Dr Ryan Williams, Dr Paul Anderson

 

 

2022-2023 Flexi Fund *Rolling*

This fund is available to fund timely, tactical opportunities in short time scales, which require a quick turnaround for funding. This could include, but is not limited to, activities such as select committee attendance, workshop organisation, or the creation of short-term impact projects. Funding is also available for initial meetings with non-academic partners that can demonstrate a potential to lead to further impact. 

Awards will typically not exceed £2,000 and will cover 100% Directly Incurred Costs only.

Applications to this scheme are accepted on a rolling basis, through the dedicated application system.  

If you wish to apply contact Lucy or Greta at AHImpact@admin.cam.ac.uk