Care for the future town meetings opening presentation 2013

Welcome to AHRC’s Care for the Future: Thinking

Forward Through the PastLarge Theme Grants

Town Meeting

exploring the dynamic relationship that exists between past, present and future,

and how they interact with and shape each other, through a temporally inflected

lens ..........

Timetable for the Day9.30am Registration/coffee 10.00am Welcome and introduction to

AHRC’s Strategic Themes (Gary Grubb)

10.20–10.50am The Care for the Future Theme – overview, aims, role of large grants and future plans (Professor Andrew Thompson, Theme Leadership Fellow)

10.50–11.20am The Large Grants Call (Gary Grubb)11.20-12.30pm Discussion / Question and Answer

Session12.30-2.00pm Networking Lunch & Informal

Discussions and Questions

Background to AHRC’s ThemesGary Grubb

Associate Director of Programmes AHRC

[email protected]

AHRC Themes: Background• ‘Future Directions’ consultation with

researchers (Feb-May 2009)• Advisory Board analysis of outcomes• Further consultation with key partners &

Subject Associations & via HEI visits• Development by Advisory Board & Council• Themes further shaped and refined by

Theme Advisory Groups (on-going process) & Town Meetings & workshops in 2012

• Building on the successes of previous AHRC ‘strategic programmes’ but different in nature

• Digital Transformations

• Translating Cultures

• Care for the Future

• Science in Culture

• Connected Communities (with

other RCs)

AHRC’s Themes

AHRC Strategy 2013-2018• Support for larger scale research

collaborations involving multiple researchers and institutions and supporting inter-disciplinary research

• Building new communities of researchers and new kinds of research leadership

• Ask questions that cannot be tackled by single disciplines alone

• Setting research in wider contexts and pursuing broader objectives

Collective Aims of the Themes

• To support the development of research capability and communities in emerging research areas identified by Arts and Humanities researchers as being of increasing importance

• To provide research development opportunities across a range of Arts and Humanities subject areas

• To support high quality, ambitious, cutting edge research, creativity, innovation and intellectual leadership

• To stimulate boundary-crossing collaborations and partnerships• To develop distinctive arts and humanities approaches that can

contribute to broader RCUK / cross-disciplinary programmes • To provide a focal point for developing pathways and narratives

for the impact of arts and humanities research

Theme Working • Themes not the same as AHRC strategic programmes• Collection of adaptable theme activities• Potential to draw in activities across all AHRC funding modes

(including responsive) , not just activities under themed calls• Developing flexibility as appropriate for each theme• Consideration of international, knowledge exchange, capacity

building and public policy potential

• Emphasis on using current funding mechanisms and on targeted activities, including building larger consortia grants and partnership activities; flexibility rather than large-scale new research programmes (‘variable geometry’)

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Theme Evolution: 2012-18• Themes are diverse in nature• Different funding and support patterns appropriate over future

years• Represent a longer-term investment in the intellectual landscape

across the period of AHRC’s new Strategy for 2013-2018• Themes will continue to link to, build on and complement the

majority of AHRC funded research through ‘responsive mode’ and seek to add value to the range of research undertaken, engagements within, across and outside the academic communities supported by AHRC

• Themes can help to develop overarching narratives about evolution of arts and humanities research but remain underpinned by high quality researcher-led projects

Theme Funding • Started with fairly open highlight notices & development awards to

stimulate community-generated ideas, interest & capacity• Theme Leadership Fellowships to provide leadership and support

connectivity across activities • Larger theme awards only one key part of theme activities – 3

themes had large grants calls in 2012. Care for the Future’s large grants call in 2013.

• Consideration of complementary international (e.g.EU JPI on Cultural Heritage), knowledge exchange, capacity building (e.g. via skills development calls) and public policy potential

• Potential for partnership activities e.g. current partnership with HLF to support community-based activities related to the centenary of the First World War.

• Other calls (e.g. for smaller development awards in under-represented or emerging areas). Continuing potential to draw in new 'responsive mode’ activities 10

Care for the Future Theme Awards

• 16 exploratory awards underway in 2013• Over 10 awards through Research networking

and fellowships highlight notices• 10 grants shortly to be announced under the

Care for the Future: Environmental Change and Sustainability Research Grants highlight

• Related activities under Connected Communities, Researching Environmental Change and Heritage areas

Theme / Connected Communities Leadership Fellowships

• To enrich the intellectual agenda for the theme /programme• To take a lead in engaging with broader research communities (UK and

overseas)• To promote collaboration between projects and across disciplinary,

institutional and other boundaries• To take on an advocacy role and develop narratives about the progress

of the theme• To undertake an advisory role – working closely with the theme

advisory groups and AHRC staff / theme leads• To stimulate and support the development of collaborative, KE, public

engagement and partnership activities beyond academia• Undertake their own research relevant to the theme

Other Funding Opportunities• Large Grants and Fellowships a core part of themes but only part of the

picture – we are thinking about other complementary activities e.g. international calls, partnership activities, targeted calls in under-represented areas and highlight notices which could supplement the large grants as appropriate.

• Responsive mode grants, fellowships and networking schemes –potential to link into the theme. Open Deadlines

• Connected Communities/ Care for the Future / HLF Co-ordinating Centres for Community Research and Engagement to Commemorate the Centenary of the First World War, closing date 16 July 2013

• We are planning a workshop for early career researchers in December 2013/ January 2014 with follow-up funding. Call for participants expected in autumn 2013

• Other calls e.g. international collaborations under JPI for Cultural Heritage expected.

Why Include Provision for Theme Large Grants?

• Allow for more ambitious collaborative projects and potential for developing a wider range of collaborations and partnership – across institutions, across disciplines, across sectors and internationally e.g. potential ‘beacons’ for the themes, and for international and partner collaborations.

• Offering enhanced capability building opportunities (e.g. building new communities of scholars, linked students, longer contracts, development of training programmes)

• Greater opportunity to seek leveraged funding (inside and beyond institutions) & develop sustainable legacies

• Potential to build in more agility to respond to changing needs and new research findings that emerge over time, working more closely with AHRC

• Complement other smaller funding opportunities already offered under the Themes and available from other funding sources

Theme Large Grants• Ambitious, transformative potential within the field• Sum of the whole must be more than the parts• Potential to make a significant contribution to some of the

bigger cross-cutting questions, issues, sub-themes• Extending and developing new collaborations across

institutions and disciplines – potential for developing genuinely inter-disciplinary approaches

• Looking for innovation, opportunity for ‘risk’ taking within the overall research programme

• Potential to think in creative ways about pathways to impact drawing across a broader portfolio of research and contacts

• Opportunity to think about broader contributions and collaborations, e.g. international, capability development etc