Funding opportunity

Funding opportunity: AHRC responsive mode: follow-on funding for impact and engagement: round four

Follow-on funding supports unforeseen knowledge exchange, public engagement, active dissemination and commercialisation activities that arise during the lifespan of, or following, an AHRC-funded project.

Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funds grants of up to £100,000 for a maximum of one year, and smaller grants of up to £30,000 for shorter or higher risk activities.

Update: As we are pausing the follow-on funding scheme after this round, we have extended the application deadline by three weeks to 18 July 2024.

Who can apply

Before applying for funding, check the following:

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service.

For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual.

Who is eligible to apply

The project should primarily be led by the original project lead of the research that the proposal builds upon.

Another member of the original research team may lead the project if the nature of the proposed activity makes it more appropriate. In such cases, the original project lead would be expected to be named as project co-lead or at least as an advisor. This would need to be justified within the proposal.

We allow international researchers to act as project co-leads in the proposal.

There are no restrictions on how long ago the original project was funded, but if a significant amount of time has elapsed you must make the case for how the new proposal is relevant.

If you are part of a research group within a research organisation and wish to exploit a piece of research in the absence of the original project lead, you will need to seek their permission and where possible involve the original project lead in an advisory role. Your research organisation must ensure any continuity issues including intellectual property or copyright are addressed.

Proposals must:

  • be based on either previous or current research directly funded by us (except research conducted under masters, doctoral or collaborative doctoral, and knowledge transfer partnerships)
  • alternatively, be based on research that has been co-funded with another UKRI research council, funded entirely by another UKRI research council, or funded under UKRI-supported schemes such as the Humanities in the European Research Area joint research programme, provided the proposal genuinely falls within AHRC’s remit. In these cases you need to provide strong justification for why you are applying for AHRC funding, together with supporting evidence and the previous proposal
  • support innovative pathways to impact opportunities that could not have been foreseen at the original proposal stage and have not already been taken account of in the original award. Proposals need to demonstrate clearly how the new pathways to impact opportunities will enhance the value and wider benefit of the original AHRC-funded research project
  • exploit creative and innovative ideas rather than repeating, continuing or extending existing activities or conducting new research
  • be focused towards non-academic audiences and relevant user communities. You should show how you engage with potential users and stakeholders throughout the project

Project co-leads

Project co-leads are supported by this funding opportunity and includes international co-leads as per the guidance below.

Other roles

Other roles that are supported by this funding opportunity are listed in the ‘How to apply’ section below.

Who is not eligible to apply

We do not support project studentships (funding PhD study) within this funding opportunity.

International applicants

We also encourage international researchers to participate as project co-leads. See sections two and three of the AHRC research funding guide for full details on eligibility of researchers, organisations and costs.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:

  • career breaks
  • support for people with caring responsibilities
  • flexible working
  • alternative working patterns

Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI and AHRC’s equality, diversity and inclusion policy.

What we're looking for

Scope

The proposed activities should enhance the value and wider benefit of your original research project, and have a significant economic, social, cultural or policy impact.

The follow-on funding for impact and engagement aims to:

  • explore unforeseen pathways to impact either within the lifespan of an AHRC research project or resulting from a completed research project
  • enhance the value and benefits of AHRC-funded research beyond academia
  • encourage and enable a range of interactions and creative engagements between arts and humanities research and a variety of user communities, including business, third sector and heritage sector, public policy, voluntary and community groups, or the general public

Start date

For projects over £30,000, the proposed start date of your project must be no earlier than five and no later than nine months after the date of your application.

For projects under £30,000, the proposed start date of your project must be no earlier than three and no later than nine months.

Duration

The duration of this award is up to 12 months.

Smaller awards of up to £30,000 (full economic cost) are encouraged for shorter, higher risk activities, for example the feasibility of an idea, exploring new partnerships for knowledge exchange, testing the market or investigating a new business model. Funding decision making times are reduced for these smaller awards.

Funding available

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £100,000.

AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Costs associated with international co-leads will be funded at 100% FEC but must not exceed 30% of the total project costs. Please refer to sections two and three of the AHRC research funding guide for details on eligibility of such costs.

What we will fund

The activities supported by this grant can include:

  • activities enabling knowledge exchange, interactive public engagement or active dissemination. These activities must engage new user communities and audiences
  • commercialisation or proof of concept
  • activities that build upon knowledge exchange and pathways to impact already undertaken. You must take these activities in a new direction and to new audiences
  • conferences and seminars for a policy or practice audience
  • pursuit and development of new user contacts
  • feasibility studies to test the potential application of ideas emerging from the research in different business, policy, or practice contexts

What we will not fund

The grant does not cover:

  • pathways to impact activities that have already been considered in the original proposal
  • grant extension, continuing similar or existing activities, or conducting further research
  • activities to develop or extend an existing resource or website
  • activities connected to research leave or primarily funding staff time
  • support for principally academic outputs (such as an academic paper, conference or a publication)

Supporting skills and talent

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.

International collaboration

If your application includes international applicants, project partners or collaborators, visit UKRI’s trusted research and innovation for more information on effective international collaboration.

Find out about getting funding for international collaboration.

How to apply

The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

To apply

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

  1. Confirm you are the project lead.
  2. Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email support@funding-service.ukri.org
    Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service.
  3. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
  4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
  5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
  6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. You must:

  • use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words
  • insert each new image onto a new line
  • provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit)
  • ensure files are smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Watch our research office webinars about the new Funding Service.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

References

Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers should be used. Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

References should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors for example, (Smith, Research Paper, 2019)

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.

Deadline

The proposed start date of your project must be at least five months after the date of your application for proposals over £30,000 and at least three months for proposals under £30,000.

During the initial phases of the Funding Service, the system will continue to develop in response to internal and external user needs. AHRC responsive mode funding opportunities will run as consecutive rounds with defined closing dates. Opening in rounds means we will be able to accommodate system developments and assess applications in a batch submitted under the same conditions.

Applications may be submitted at any time while a round is open; you do not need to wait until the closing date. We will begin to process applications as soon as we receive them, therefore, if an application is submitted early in a round, we may be able to provide you with an earlier decision.

We must receive your application to round four by 18 July 2024 at 4:00pm UK time.

The follow-on funding scheme will then pause after the closure of round four.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.

Following the submission of your application to this funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

Details of the changes to our responsive mode funding opportunities are available on Changes to AHRC responsive mode funding opportunities.

Personal data

Processing personal data

AHRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.

We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.

Publication of outcomes

AHRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at UKRI Gateway to Research.

Summary

Word limit: 500

In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:

  • opinion-formers
  • policymakers
  • the public
  • the wider research community

Guidance for writing a summary

Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:

  • context
  • the challenge the project addresses
  • aims and objectives
  • potential applications and benefits

Core team

List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:

  • project lead (PL)
  • project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
  • project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))
  • specialist
  • professional enabling staff
  • research and innovation associate
  • technician

Only list one individual as project lead.

Mentor details should not be entered in this section, instead please outline their name and contribution in the ‘Applicant and team’ section.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Application questions

Discipline classification: primary

Word limit: 5

Please provide the primary research area of your application.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

You must select from one of these research disciplines:

  • archaeology
  • area studies
  • classics
  • cultural and museum studies
  • dance
  • design
  • development studies
  • drama and theatre studies
  • education
  • history
  • human geography
  • information and communication technologies
  • languages and literature
  • law and legal studies
  • library and information studies
  • linguistics
  • media
  • music
  • philosophy
  • political science and international studies
  • social anthropology
  • theology, divinity and religion
  • visual arts

This information will be used for the purposes of processing your application and in the selection of appropriate assessors.

Discipline classification – secondary

Word limit: 50

Please describe, using keywords, the research area of your application and where relevant the approach, time period or geographical area.

This will further help with the selection of appropriate assessors.

Eligibility to apply for opportunity

Word limit: 250

How, regarding the rules on the previous funded research, do you feel this new work is eligible for follow-on funding?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

You should ensure that you demonstrate that this new work:

  • will support innovative pathways to impact opportunities that could not have been foreseen at the original proposal stage
  • will enhance the value and wider benefit of the original UKRI funded research project
  • will exploit creative and innovative ideas rather than repeating, continuing or extending existing activities or conducting new research
  • be focused towards non academic audiences and relevant user communities
  • will engage with potential users and stakeholders throughout the project

Additionally, you should:

  • identify the UKRI funded research that this new work will build upon, including the grant reference (AH/XXXXXXX/X)

Vision

Word limit: 550

What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how your proposed work:

  • is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
  • has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area
  • is timely given current trends, context, and needs
  • impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment

Within the Vision section we also expect you to:

  • identify the potential direct or indirect benefits and who the beneficiaries might be

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

References may be included within this section.

Approach

Word limit: 1,650

How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how you have designed your approach so that it:

  • is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
  • is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
  • uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable)
  • summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable)
  • will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
  • describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

References may be included within this section.

Applicant and team capability to deliver

Word limit: 1,650

Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:

  • the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
  • the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
  • the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others
  • contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

The word count for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for R4RI modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.

Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings:

  • contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
  • the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
  • contributions to the wider research and innovation community
  • contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit

As a minimum, all named members of the leadership team should be discussed within this section of the form.

If references or citations are deemed appropriate, these should be included within the section’s word limit. We would advise you not to include hyperlinks, as assessors are not obliged to access the information they lead to or consider it in their assessment of your application. If you are linking to web resources, to maintain the information’s integrity, include persistent identifiers (such as digital object identifiers) where possible. You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.

Additions

Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).

References may be included within this section.

Complete this as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.

UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new Funding Service.

For full details, see UKRI’s new roles in funding applications.

Project partners

Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.

A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities.

Add the following project partner details:

  • the organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable)
  • the project partner contact name and email address
  • the type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value

If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Project partners: letters (or emails) of support

Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the ‘Project partner’ section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box, or if you do not have any project partners enter N/A.  Each letter or email you provide should:

  • confirm the partner’s commitment to the project
  • clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them
  • describe any additional value that they bring to the project

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the project partners’ section.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Word limit: 500

What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:

  • the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations
  • how you will manage these considerations

If you are collecting or using data, identify:

  • any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing or storing the data including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further reuse of data
  • formal information standards with which your study will comply

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 1,000

What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:

  • project staff
  • significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)
  • any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
  • all facilities and infrastructure costs
  • all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’

Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:

  • are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
  • represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
  • maximise potential outcomes and impacts

AHRC do not provide funding for individual items of equipment over £10,000. Please see section three of the AHRC research funding guide for further information.

Additionally, where relevant you should explain:

  • support for any project partners organisations

How we will assess your application

Assessment process

Note that all elements of your application form will be shared with the assessors.

Peer review

Applications over £30,000 (full economic costing)

Applications will be subject to two specialist peer reviews by members of AHRC’s Peer Review College, followed by a response from the project lead. The application, reviews, and the project lead response will be moderated by a review panel who will make funding recommendations to us.

We aim to complete the assessment process within 14 to 16 weeks. The earliest start date for the project should be no earlier than five months and no later than nine months after submission.

Applications under £30,000 (full economic costing)

Applications will be reviewed directly by the panel, and the project lead will not be offered a response.

We aim to complete the assessment process within six weeks. The earliest start date for the project should be no earlier than three months and no later than nine months after submission.

Find out more about AHRC’s assessment process.

Applicant response

Project leads will be provided with a right to reply/response opportunity of 500 words per peer review.

Feedback

Written feedback will only be provided in the form of the anonymised peer reviews (only for proposals above £30,000) and the final grade from the panel.

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UKRI Principles of Assessment and Decision Making.

Assessment criteria

Your application will be assessed against criteria that directly relate to the core application questions listed in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Contact details

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the Helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding Finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of an opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact details

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact enquiries@ahrc.ukri.org

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org

Phone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

  • Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm
  • Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

Find out more information on submitting an application.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email enquiries@ahrc.ukri.org

Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include:

  • individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
  • declaration of interest
  • additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
  • conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
  • the application is an invited resubmission

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.

Additional info

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

  • breaks and delays
  • disruptive working patterns and conditions
  • the loss of ongoing work
  • role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Pause in follow-on funding

Please note that as part of our wider responsive mode transition we will be pausing the follow-on funding scheme after the closure of round four until further notice, to enable us to commence a review of the scheme. We will provide updates on the review and potential opportunity to feed in via Changes to AHRC responsive mode funding opportunities.

The review of follow-on funding is the next step in our transformation of responsive mode, following the introduction of Catalyst and Curiosity, and the pilot of Mission.

Updates

  • 3 June 2024
    How to apply section updated as deadline has been extended to 18 July.
  • 30 May 2024
    Summary and the Additional info section updated to notify users that the deadline has been extended to 18 July.

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