AHRC’s research portfolio is aligned to UKRI’s mission to advance knowledge, improve lives and drive growth. We deliver this through three priorities that guide our investment in people, programmes and infrastructure:
- support curiosity-driven research: supporting discovery-led research and talent to sustain a world-class arts and humanities research base
- address strategic government and societal priorities: applying arts and humanities expertise to national challenges, policy and public services
- help companies start, scale and stay in the UK: strengthening the UK’s creative and cultural economy through innovation and business support
Across these areas, AHRC prioritises:
- strengthening human-centred and ethically informed research and innovation
- scaling digital humanities, cultural data-intensive research and AI-enabled methods
- driving place-based growth, skills and talent, supporting local innovation ecosystems and approaches that support communities and regional growth
- advance creative and design-led approaches to challenges such as health, wellbeing and the green transition
- strengthening arts and humanities-informed policymaking
- applying arts and humanities research to improve access to justice, strengthen public trust, and support fairer, more transparent legal and justice systems
Our programmes translate research into real-world impact, including improved public services, stronger communities, innovative businesses and increased public trust. These are delivered via strong partnerships across academia, industry, government, charities and the cultural and heritage sector.