AHSS Research Strategy Clinics for researchers in the arts, humanities and social sciences

Discussion of and information about strategic research issues core in arts, humanities and social sciences. Open to all staff. 

The Research Strategy Clinic series aims to widen communications and discussions about strategic research issues across the arts, humanities and social sciences at Cambridge. A joint initiative of the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences’ Research Strategy Group and the School of Arts and Humanities’ Research Strategy Working Group, key discussions will feed back into these groups.

All sessions aim to focus on issues, opportunities and examples specific to arts, humanities and/or social science researchers.

For any enquiries, please email the AHSS Research Strategy team

PAST CLINICS

An Introduction to REF 2029

What’s it all about? And what do researchers and institutions need to do right now?  

Thursday 3 July 2025, 10.00 to 12.00 on Teams

With institutions gearing up their preparations for REF 2029, this Clinic will provide a strong grounding on the fundamentals and practicalities of REF for both researchers and administrators across the arts, humanities and social sciences. It will cover the constituent elements that make up a REF submission both at Institutional and UoA level, highlight significant policy changes in REF 2029, and overview guidance known to date and the University’s approach to this. Key resources and contacts will be highlighted.

The session will consist of short presentations from colleagues working in lead professional service roles supporting the University’s REF preparations with plenty of time for Q&As.

Come to this session if you have any REF questions no matter how big or small and we’ll do our best to address these! Whether HESA, volume, impact, research culture, decoupling of staff and outputs, or more besides.

Speakers:

Dr Andrea Salter, Research Strategy Manager and REF Lead for AHSS

Lynne Meehan, Research Services Manager, University Library

Dr Marie Collier, Research Culture Project Manager

Anna Allen, Deputy Research Information Manager

Tamsin Varney, Impact and Knowledge Exchange Coordinator

Watch the recording

View slides

Research Impact

Monitoring and Evaluation Approaches

Monday 30 June, 13.00 to 14.00 on Teams

During this Clinic we will focus on monitoring and evaluation approaches and asking three main questions: ‘how?’, ‘what?’, and ‘why?’. More specifically, the session will include: discussions on methods that help build monitoring and evaluation into the progress of a project, quantitative and qualitative options for evidence gathering, and the benefits of undertaking effective monitoring and evaluation (including why this important as we prepare for REF 2029).

The session will be led by Tamsin Varney, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Coordinator, Research Strategy Office, with Dr Andrea Salter, AHSS Research Strategy Manager and REF Lead for AHSS.

View slides

Research Security Special

How the Foreign Influence Registration System 2025, Export Control and the National Security Act 2023 may impact arts, humanities and social sciences research and researchers.

Friday 27 June 2025, 13.00-14.00

Legislation around a new Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (launching 1 July 2025) with legal obligations on individuals and UCAM, and on export control and the 2023 National Security Act, will form the focus of special Research Strategy Clinic on research security led by Dr Rhys Morgan, Head of Policy, Integrity and Governance. The implications of these legislations, which may impact researchers in the arts, humanities and social sciences, will be explained in detail and there will be time for Q&As. The main part of the session will be recorded, however colleagues are encouraged to attend to ask specific questions related to their research areas during the Q&A.

About the legislation:

Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS):

The FIRS scheme will come into force on 1 July 2025. It requires registrations with the UK

government of any arrangement:

• made between an individual or entity and a foreign government to undertake political influence activities in the UK; or,
• with the Russian or Iranian government to undertake any activities in the UK.

This may include:

• research contracts and collaborations;
• less formalised activities such as conferences or meetings if they have been set up at the request of a foreign government.

This is the first major piece of national security legislation that may impact beyond STEM subjects.

For more information on FIRS see the University FIRS webpage

Export Control and the 2023 National Security Act:

On 1 May 2025 the University Research Policy Committee updated the University’s Export Control Procedure and Guidance in line with recommendations from a recent audit. The new Procedure is designed to ensure that researchers are supported to comply with Export Control legislation, and the Clinic will outline this process. The 2023 National Security Act, which has significantly increased the potential financial and custodial sentences possible for breaches of export control legislation.

Supported by the Research Office, Schools and Departments are required to undertake a structured risk assessment to identify who within the University works with export-controlled items, software and technology and to ensure that those who do are appropriately trained and follow the revised Procedure.

For more information on export control see the University export control website.

Shaping Research Communication in the Humanities and Social Sciences

Wednesday 28 May 2025, 12.00-14.00

Whether you're looking to engage specific communities as part of your research practice; bring informed, evidence-based thinking to a contested issue; or inspire others to pursue further study, the School Communications Team wants to hear from you.

Join us for an interactive workshop and share your thoughts on:

• What is 'research communication' and why might we do it?
• What strategies are we currently employing for this purpose? How is the landscape changing - and how might it change?
• How can the School's communications infrastructure best support researchers to engage a wider community of audiences and publics with their work? Should it do so? And if so, what form might a future research communication service take?

The session will be led by communications practitioners working in the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences and the discussions will inform development of a School research communications strategy. 

Please direct any queries to ahss-srf-administrator@admin.cam.ac.uk.

Understanding Research Financials in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences 

Tuesday 7 May 2024, 1-1.50pm

The video recording is provided here alongside the presentation slides. 

This Research Strategy Clinic focuses on key issues around research finances to help clarify the core principles and processes followed by the University, and Higher Education sector more widely, and how these affect researchers in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Introduced by the Head of the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences, the speakers will consider key points around managing overhead recovery from research grants, budgeting for teaching replacement, the TRAC method and full economic costing, and understanding how Quality-related Research Funding (QR) translates into budgets. We will also consider how the move to EFT (Enhanced Financial Transparency) may impact these elements. The Clinic aims to provide a high-level overview of these areas and will include plenty of time for Q & A. All welcome.

Speakers:

• Prof Tim Harper (Head of SHSS)
• Dr Daniel Wunderlich (Assistant Director, Research Office)
• Bev Housden (SHSS Finance Business Partner)
• Ben Perks (SAH Finance Business Partner)
• Dr Andrea Salter (AHSS Research Strategy Manager)

Deep Dive into Research Culture in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Monday 12 February 2024

• Liz Simmonds (Head of Research Culture)
• Dr Joshua Fitzgerald (ECR Assembly Rep for the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences)
• Dr Georgina Wilson (ECR Assembly Rep for the School of Arts and Humanities)
• Dr Dacia Viejo-Rose and Prof Mette Eilstrup-Sangiovanni, Academic Project Directors for Research, SHSS.
• with Dr Andrea Salter (AHSS Research Assessment and Strategy Manager)

Strategic Partnerships with Institutions and Businesses 

Monday 6 November 2023

A recording of Clinic 2 is provided here alongside the presentation slides.

Are you interested in finding out about strategic partnerships with institutions and businesses supported through the University’s Strategic Partnerships Office? Would you like to know more about how to engage with these collaborations in furthering your own research projects, and the support available at the University to help with this? Do you want to hear examples of where researcher specifically in the arts, humanities and/or social sciences have developed successful business partnerships and explore the potential commercialisation of research products or methodologies with support from Cambridge Enterprise?  

This webinar looked at the University’s strategic partnerships for researchers in the arts, humanities and social sciences.  

Speakers:

• Karen Kennedy (Director of the Strategic Partnership Office);
• Catherine Hasted (Head of Business Partnerships);
• Renata Schaeffer (Head of Public International Partnerships);
• Tammy Au (Head of International Support Services);
• Emma Salgard Cunha (Commercialisation Manager for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Cambridge Enterprise)
• with Andrea Salter (AHSS Research Assessment and Strategy Manager)

International Engagement and Global Mobility

Monday 30 October 2023

A recording of Clinic 1 is provided here alongside the presentation slides.

Are you interested in finding out how the University supports international engagement and global mobility for researchers? Are you aware of the latest guidance on travel and requirements for risk assessment? Do you have questions about the University’s new International Working Policy? Are there topics specific to arts, humanities and/or social science research you would like to raise?  

This webinar looked at the University’s launch of the new International Engagement Hub, which brings together the University’s guidance, tools and materials staff will need to engage with international partners and conduct overseas research into one place, in line with University’s International Working Policy, which took effect from 1 October 2023.

Speakers:

• Tammy Au (Head of International Support Service)
• Gillian Weale (Safety Office)
• Maria Buckman (Global Mobility Advisor)
• Ella McPherson (Deputy Head of SHSS, member of the Study Away Risk Assessment Committee)
• Elizabeth Penner (AHSS School Research Facilitator – International)
• with Andrea Salter (AHSS Research Assessment and Strategy Manager)

Over the next few months further useful tools and guidance will be added to the Hub to help researchers in the arts, humanities an social sciences navigate through international activity, including:

• a dedicated helpdesk for all travel away queries;
• a new online system (‘Peregrine’) for completing pre-travel risk assessment;
• a new travel management company;
• guidance on how to include international working related costs in research grant applications.

Find out about support available across the arts, humanities and social sciences for preparing research grant applications, and about the workings of the University’s Study Away Risk Assessment Committee (SARAC).