Deadline: 14-Sep-23
UK research organisations are now eligible to apply for the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funding to develop design-led solutions to address specific challenges facing biodiversity in the UK.
Scope
- Design Exchange Partnerships (DEPs) are three-way collaborative projects which seek to demonstrate tangible impact on local communities by stimulating the real-world application of high-quality arts and humanities-led design research to address challenges related to achieving green transition goals.
- DEPs aim to:
- stimulate strategic partnerships that support career development and the development of hybrid skills
- increase the diversity of voices and actors consulted in and contributing to addressing the climate crisis
- enable the development of new products and services that have a positive impact in the real-world
- For this round, they are focusing on developing design-led solutions to address specific challenges facing biodiversity in the UK. Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on earth, including species, sub-species, and ecosystems.
- The UK government recognises that the UK’s transition to net zero must be supported by a joined-up approach to halting biodiversity loss. This includes ensuring the natural environment is “protected, enhanced, and more diverse, with healthy ecosystems and increased biodiversity, supporting a sustainable rural economy and providing wider benefits, including improved mental health and protection from risks like flooding and overheating”.
- They welcome broad interpretations of the theme of biodiversity, including but not limited to one or more of the following areas:
- natural resources
- materials
- land or marine use
- health and wellbeing
- regeneration and planning
- Projects may focus on any challenges or areas that will support progress towards green transition goals, including but not limited to any combination of:
- human, such as improving the design and delivery of green policies and initiatives to more effectively support behaviour change
- technical, such as design and testing of new prototypes or other interventions that advance technology readiness levels (TRLs)
- economic or commercial, such as design of new business models or interventions that advance market readiness levels (MRLs)
- structural, such as infrastructure planning and decarbonisation provision
Funding Information
- The FEC of your project can be up to £62,500 for six months or £125,000 for 12 months. AHRC will fund 80% FEC.
- The duration of this award is either six months or 12 months depending on the level of funding.
- Projects must start by 1 February 2024. All projects must be concluded no later than 31 January 2024.
Activities
- They welcome proposals for, and will support a diverse portfolio showcasing, a range of different types of design intervention, from product or service level innovation through to strategic, systems-level design thinking.
- The project should demonstrate human-centred design research processes and thinking. You can include activities to:
- develop high-value innovation opportunities and define what makes a desirable, fit-for-purpose solution
- create ideas for new or significantly improved products or services
- test and improve ideas by using fast, low-cost visuals, prototypes or simulations
- clearly communicate ideas ready for further investment, and research and development activity
- understand human motivations and behaviour through, for example, observation, interviews, role-play and workshops
- Projects should demonstrate clear pathways to measurable outcomes of benefit to all partners both within the project period and beyond.
What they will not fund?
- For this funding opportunity, they are not seeking proposals based solely in technical design disciplines such as engineering design and design for manufacture, although they welcome creatively-led projects incorporating technical aspects.
- They are not seeking proposals aimed at creating visual identity elements, graphics or style guides, unless these are essential to the creation of a new product or service.
- Projects that do not engage directly with the theme or seek to develop a generic approach to a wider green transition challenge will be considered outside of the scope of this funding opportunity.
Eligibility Criteria
- Each project will involve:
- one early career arts and humanities design research associate (including those undertaking doctoral studies in an arts and humanities design-led discipline). For this funding opportunity they are taking a flexible approach to defining early career and will accept proposals including research associates at other career stages who can justify the value of this project to their own development. This position is open to job share arrangements
- at least one academic supervisor
- at least one non-academic organisation with a specific challenge relevant to the overarching theme of ‘design the green transition’, which can be addressed through the ongoing application of design-led research carried out by the research associate
- The research associate and supervisor must be based at a UK research organisation that is eligible for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding.
- While the supervisor will have oversight of the project and will be the principal investigator for the purposes of administering the award, they expect the majority of intellectual leadership to come from the research associate. This must be demonstrated in the proposal and throughout the course of the award, if successful.
- Non-academic partners must be either a micro or small and medium-sized enterprise-sized, UK registered business, charity or not-for-profit similarly sized department of a public sector organisation.
- They welcome part-time applicants (minimum of 0.6 full-time equivalent).
- Job share applications for the research associate will be considered provided:
- both candidates can demonstrate a suitable arts and humanities-led design research background
- both associates participate to an equal extent in all aspects of the project
- clear and robust handover and communication arrangements are in place
- The lead research organisation may make multiple applications for this programme, but each application must be substantively different in both partnership team and project objectives.
- The named research associates, supervisors and non-academic partner may participate in only one application for this programme.
- Subcontractors are not eligible for this funding opportunity.
For more information, visit Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).