AHRC Themes: Overview Christie Walker Strategy & Development Manager 8 November 2012
Nov 30, 2014
AHRC Themes: Overview
Christie WalkerStrategy & Development Manager
8 November 2012
• Science in Culture
• Digital Transformations
• Care for the Future
• Translating Cultures
• Connected Communities
(with other RCs)
AHRC Strategic Themes
AHRC Strategic Themes: Development
• ‘Future Directions’ consultation (Feb-May 2009)
• Further consultation e.g. with key partners &
Subject Associations, institutional visits etc
• Development by Advisory Board & Council
• Knowledge exchange, international, capacity
building, public policy, partnership activities
• Larger consortia grants
• Building on previous AHRC programmes &
supporting cross-council programmes
Science in Culture
• Understanding and developing the reciprocal relationship
between the sciences and the arts & humanities
• Historical evolution of science; creativity, discovery &
argumentation in science; science as a system of knowledge
• Impact on values, beliefs & ‘world views’; cultural, religious,
ethical and legal dimensions; representation of science in
language, literature, art, imagery, museums etc;
• Anticipating & influencing future controversies and
enhancing public debates & engagement
• Emerging areas such as medical and health humanities
Digital Transformations
• Focus on how digital technologies can transform the arts and
humanities and transform how arts & humanities research is
done
• Ensuring that arts & humanities research is at the forefront of
tackling crucial issues, e.g. intellectual property, cultural
memory and identity, communication and creativity in the
digital age, issues of access
• Not simply about studying technology and its use in arts &
humanities but also encouraging innovation in developing and
using technology as well
Care for the FutureThinking Forward Through the Past
• “generating new understandings of the relationship between
the past and the future, and the challenges and opportunities
of the present, through a temporally inflected lens”
• Exploring changing values, perceptions, beliefs and identities,
both shared and contested, and at multiple scales from the
local to the global
• Sub-themes: cultural notions of the future; changing families
and communities; cultures and heritage – adapting for the
future; environmental change and sustainability; global trauma,
conflict, cultural memory and transitions to new futures
Translating Cultures
• Need for understanding & communication between/across diverse
cultures • Role of ‘translation’ / translation in the broadest sense• Engaging with concepts such as multiculturalism, tolerance &
identities• Exploring interactions such as youth language & online
language/identity • Promoting opportunities for work across language areas &
disciplines • 3 strategic questions: i) process & nature of translation &
interpreting; ii) developing understanding of diverse cultures: iii)
contributing to key public policy concerns
Connected Communities ProgrammeAims to: mobilise the potential for increasingly inter-connected,
culturally diverse, communities to enhance participation, prosperity, sustainability, health & well-being by better connecting research, stakeholders and communities.
www.connectedcommunities.ac.uk
Recent Activity (1) • Highlight notices:
– Fellowships (finishes end of December 2012)
– Networking and CfF in Research Grants (finished 30 October 2012)
• SiC, DT, CfF, TC:
– Theme Advisory Groups
– Development Awards made Feb 2012, finished Sept 2012 (SiC, DT,
TC)
– CfF Exploratory Awards call has just closed
– Digging into Data (DT)
– AHRC-NEH Joint Funding Initiative: Bridging Cultures (SiC)
Recent Activity (2) • SiC, DT, CfF, TC (continued):
– Theme Large Grant Expressions of Interest (SiC, DT, TC)
• Digital Transformations – 10 January 2013
• Science in Culture – 15 January 2013
• Translating Cultures – 17 January 2013
• Connected Communities:
– Research reviews and scoping studies
– Research Development Workshops (Communities, Culture,
Environment & Sustainability)
– Research Development Awards (Creative Economy; Health &
Wellbeing in Communities)
Recent Activity (3)
• Connected Communities (continued):
– Annual Summits for award holders with follow-up funding
– Joint calls with other Funders (e.g. ESRC-led Community
Engagement & Mobilisation)
– Overall, 208 Connected Communities awards have been made
Theme Leadership Fellows (1)
• Science in Culture: Professor Barry Smith, Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study
• Digital Transformations: Professor Andrew Prescott, Professor of Digital Humanities and Head of the Department of Digital Humanities, King’s College London
• Care for the Future: Professor Andrew Thompson, Professor of Modern History and Chair in History, University of Exeter
• Translating Cultures: Professor Charles Forsdick, James Barrow Professor of French and Head of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies, University of Liverpool
Theme Leadership Fellows (2)
• Connected Communities: – Professor George McKay, Professor of Cultural
Studies and Director of the Communication, Cultural and Media Studies Research Centre at MediaCityUK, University of Salford
– Professor Keri Facer, Professor of Educational & Social Futures, University of Bristol
Theme Leadership Fellows (3)
• Provide intellectual leadership and strategic advice on Theme development and enrich intellectual agenda for the Themes
• Take a lead in building a community of scholars• Identify and develop cross-cutting themes and fostering
synergies between thematic activities• Will act as ‘ambassadors’ for the Themes and will play a
key role in the development of strategic partnerships and broader Thematic communication and engagement activities
• Will also be developing their own leading-edge research agenda in areas relevant to the Theme
Future Activity (1)• Theme Large Grants:
– March 2013: Notification of EoI shortlisting outcomes
– May 2013: Closing date for full proposals
– August 2013: Notification of outcomes
– Between October 2013 and April 2014: Large grants to start
• Further activities and calls being developed for SiC, DT and
TC beyond Theme Large Grants
• CfF Large Theme Grants will likely be announced Summer
2013
• Digital Transformations Moot on 19 November 2012 in
London
Future Activity (2)• Connected Communities Research Development workshop
under the ‘Community Cultures, Diversity, Cohesion,
Exclusion & Conflict’ strand in 2013
• Connected Communities International Conference planned
for 2013
Thank you!