Deadline: 16-Jan-23
The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is seeking applications for its Early Career Fellowships in Cultural & Heritage Institutions.
The overall purpose of this funding opportunity is to enable early career post-doctoral (or equivalent) researchers to gain research and career experience in the galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) sector. You must do this through working in a major cultural or heritage host organisation, on a co-designed research project that will also benefit the host organisation.
Objectives
- The objectives of the scheme are to:
- create new opportunities for early career postdoctoral researchers to build, deepen or broaden their experience of working in, and with, major cultural and heritage organisations
- develop the fellows’ skills and future research career in areas of relevance to the work, collections and practices of cultural and heritage organisations
- deliver high quality and impactful research and innovation projects
- enhance the host organisation’s capacity to undertake research and innovation activities closely aligned with its priorities and strategies, and leading to practical benefits and outcomes for the host
- address a need across the GLAM sector in respect of the lack of dedicated support at the early stage of research careers
- promote equality, diversity and inclusion principles
- strengthen efforts to build and diversify research capabilities in the cultural heritage research and innovation ecosystem
- further extend the GLAM sector’s engagement with, and contribution to, society
- catalyse high quality and impactful research and innovation projects
- This will be achieved through funding individual fellowships for early career researchers hosted by cultural and heritage independent research organisations, with a complementary programme of networking events and cohort career development
Themes
- Applications will be welcomed from prospective fellows across the full range of disciplines funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), including, but not limited to:
- archaeology
- cultural and museum studies
- history
- library and information studies
- creative and performing arts
- design
- visual arts
Funding Information
- Total fund: £2,000,000
- The full economic cost of your project can be up to £250,000. AHRC will fund 80% of the full economic cost.
- Fellowships should start between 1 November 2023 and 1 January 2024 and last between 1 and 2 years (longer if part-time).
Eligibility Criteria
- Apply for funding to conduct research at cultural and heritage institutions. You must:
- be an early career researcher
- have either a doctorate in a relevant subject or equivalent professional experience and skills
- have the support of an eligible host such as an independent research organisation in the culture and heritage sector
- address an area of interest indicated by your host organisation
- co-design your research project with your host organization
- Fellows
- To apply for a fellowship, you must:
- have a demonstrable commitment to working with the cultural and heritage sector
- be based, and be eligible to work, in the UK for the full period of the fellowship or eligible to apply for a visa to work in the UK
- be of postdoctoral standing, which means you meet one of the criteria outlined under the ‘postdoctoral criteria’
- To apply for a fellowship, you must:
- Postdoctoral criteria
- To be of postdoctoral standing, you must meet 1 of the following criteria at the deadline for applying for the fellowship:
- be within 8 years of the date of successfully completing your PhD viva or equivalent professional training
- have no more than 6 years of research experience at post-doctoral level
- have no more than 6 years of working in a role or roles which included research as a significant component of the role
- To be of postdoctoral standing, you must meet 1 of the following criteria at the deadline for applying for the fellowship:
- Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)
- Applications are welcomed from fellows in under-represented groups within the sector, for example ethnic minorities and disabled people.
- This funding opportunity will include a programme of cohort events for fellows, designed to enable networking and develop skills and meet diverse participation needs.
- Details will be provided to successful applicants, but AHRC expects that fellows will actively engage with these opportunities.
Ineligible
- The following cannot apply to be the lead host for a fellowship:
- UK-based GLAM organisations without the independent research organisation status, except as partners in an IRO-led bid
- GLAM organisations based overseas
- IROs outside the cultural and heritage sectors
- universities in the UK or overseas
- The following cannot apply as fellows:
- people who are already contracted by an IRO to undertake research as a significant part of their current role and who would like to undertake a fellowship at their current place of employment
- applicants whose proposed projects do not focus on arts and humanities disciplines, methodologies and approaches within AHRC’s remit
- researchers on career stages from mid to senior
- researchers who don’t have a PhD or equivalent experience
- Resubmissions
- You cannot resubmit a previous UKRI application to this competition.
For more information, visit https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/early-career-fellowships-in-cultural-and-heritage-institutions/