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UK Research and Innovation (AHRC), with Fonds National de la Recherche (FNR)

AHRC Collaborate with researchers in Luxembourg: applicant-led mode

AHRC funding for joint arts and humanities research projects between UK researchers and researchers in Luxembourg, under the UKRI-FNR lead agency agreement. The UK part costs £300,000 to £1.5 million full economic cost, of which AHRC pays 80%, and FNR funds the Luxembourg researchers under its own INTER rules. Projects last up to four years and must start at least nine months after submission. It is always open, but applications can only be made until the UKRI-FNR agreement ends on 5 June 2027 unless it is extended.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£300,000 – £1,500,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • Only organisations with UKRI standard eligibility can lead and submit: higher education providers, independent research organisations (IROs), public sector research establishments, UKRI institutes, Catapults and NHS bodies
  • Only the lead research organisation submits the application
  • The application needs a project lead and at least one project co-lead, each contributing to developing the application, project leadership and management, and jointly authored research outputs
  • The UK project lead must be actively engaged in postdoctoral research, have a doctorate or equivalent research experience or training, have skills and experience appropriate to the project, and be a member of, or have an offer of support from, a recognised research organisation; you do not need an academic post, and archivists, curators, librarians, technicians and practitioners are welcome
  • Under UKRI's individual eligibility policy, project leads and co-leads must be able to show the capability to deliver the project, must hold an employment contract with the submitting organisation lasting at least to the end of the grant (or have a formal substantial relationship such as an emeritus or honorary post), and must be resident in the UK at the time of application or planning to be resident for the project's duration
  • Luxembourg applicants must be at FNR-eligible institutions (public research centres, the University of Luxembourg, and public bodies with authorisation to do research in their areas) and are listed as project co-lead (international)
  • UKRI says the UK collaborator should be the lead applicant with a slightly higher research effort, and FNR allows only one proposal per Luxembourg lead per partner agency per year
  • Co-leads from other countries outside Luxembourg can be funded by AHRC; other international collaborators, and UK partners not at approved organisations, join as project partners
  • Demand management does not apply

What it funds

Well-defined collaborative research projects within the remit of both AHRC and FNR that aim to:

  • Enable arts and humanities researchers to establish or enhance effective working relationships with fellow researchers (within and beyond the arts and humanities, and within and beyond the UK), practitioners, and the individuals and organisations who may benefit from their research
  • Provide opportunities for less experienced researchers to develop their expertise and careers by working collaboratively with senior researchers on well-defined projects and by leading projects themselves
  • Maximise the value of research outcomes by promoting their communication and dissemination outside academia and, where appropriate, knowledge transfer to the research community and other contexts
  • Collaborations across a single institution or several, across research areas or disciplines (the arts and humanities element should lead in shaping research questions and methods), with researchers in other sectors and with researchers based abroad
  • Project co-lead (international) costs at 100% FEC, capped at 30% of the project's total FEC (the cap does not apply to co-leads in OECD DAC list countries other than India and China, who can also claim overheads)
  • Reasonable adjustment costs that arise directly from working on the project (these may exceed the funding maximum)

AHRC funds the UK part and FNR the Luxembourg part; you do not have to request equal amounts, and FNR costs must follow FNR's INTER rules and are not entered in the UKRI Funding Service. There is no requirement for institutional matched funding beyond the standard 20% FEC.

What it will not fund

  • Project studentships (funding PhD study)
  • Individual items of equipment over £25,000

How to apply

  1. Check the research fits the remit of both AHRC and FNR, and that your UK organisation is registered on the UKRI Funding Service (Je-S is not used)
  2. The Luxembourg partner prepares the FNR INTER budget sheet, INTER budget justification and the project plan to be submitted to FNR (forms on the FNR website)
  3. The UK project lead starts the application on the UKRI Funding Service (https://funding-service.ukri.org/OPP1404/apply/1468), confirms they are project lead and answers the questions: summary, core team, vision, approach, applicant and team capability (R4RI format, including the Luxembourg team), resources and cost justification (UK costs only), ethics and RRI, animals, GMOs, human participation, project partners, discipline classification and Trusted Research and Innovation
  4. Upload the INTER budget sheet, INTER budget justification and FNR project plan as a single PDF, and project partners' letters of support as a single PDF
  5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking; they return it to you if it needs editing
  6. Your research office submits the checked application to AHRC (there is no closing date; AHRC starts processing it as soon as it is received)
  7. The Luxembourg applicant also submits the application to FNR through FNR's online grant management system, with a copy of the UKRI application and the project plan, no later than 7 days after the UKRI submission

submitted applications cannot be changed. Images are allowed in some answers but must not contain sentences, paragraphs or tables, or the application will be rejected. Questions about the agreement can go to international@ahrc.ukri.org with 'AHRC/FNR' in the subject line, and FNR process questions to FNR's international relations team.

Have ready

  • Online application on the UKRI Funding Service
  • FNR INTER budget sheet, INTER budget justification and the project plan to be submitted to FNR, as a single PDF
  • Letters or emails of support from each named project partner, as a single PDF in English or Welsh, up to two sides of A4 per partner
  • Applicant and team capability statement in R4RI format (1,150 words plus up to 500 words of optional additions)

write 'N/A' for partner letters if you have no project partners. Projects involving animals may need to download, complete and upload additional question sets.

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