UK Research and Innovation (AHRC)

AHRC Catalyst Awards: applicant-led mode

AHRC awards for arts and humanities researchers who have not yet led a significant research project, to accelerate their path to becoming independent researchers and build leadership and convening experience through ambitious or complex projects. Teams, networks and solo researchers can apply, practice-led research is supported, and the project must show how it will develop everyone involved. Projects cost £100,000 to £300,000 full economic cost, of which AHRC pays 80%, last up to five years and must start at least nine months after submission. It is always open, led from a UK research organisation eligible for AHRC funding.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: £100,000 – £300,000; 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
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
You do not need an academic post; archivists, curators, librarians, technicians and practitioners are welcome
The project lead must not be a current or former project lead on an AHRC, UKRI or other funder's research grant or fellowship, except: doctoral training awards, early career fellowships, Daphne Jackson Fellowships, AHRC Research Networking (or equivalent), AHRC Curiosity Awards, AHRC Small Grants in the creative and performing arts, AHRC Research Grants Practice Led and Applied, institutional lead on a UKRI Impact Accelerator Award (IAA), or researcher lead or recipient of an AHRC IAA, and equivalent awards from other funders
Travel, public engagement and skills training grants do not count
Eligibility is judged on funding history at submission; you self-define it with a justification (AHRC gives no individual advice) and reviewers consider it
Project co-leads, including international co-leads, are allowed where they bring interdisciplinary or essential technical expertise and need not meet the funding-history rule, but the lead must clearly lead
Mentors are encouraged but are advisory and not part of the core team
Other international collaborators and UK partners not at approved organisations join as project partners
Demand management does not a…

What it funds

People-centred projects that support the development of researchers and their research ideas, including:

Ambitious or complex projects that accelerate the project lead's trajectory as an independent researcher, unlocking their potential and building leadership and convenor experience
Single discipline, interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary projects, with most of the disciplinary focus within AHRC's remit
Practice-based and practice-led research
Partnerships and collaboration that contribute to the career development of the lead and any project team members, conducted as equitable partnerships
Salary costs for a mentor's time, where mentoring is included
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)

development is at the core of the scheme; projects must explain how the funding will develop all those involved, with support structures in place. 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

project leads who are or have been project lead on a research or fellowship grant from AHRC, UKRI or any other funder cannot apply, apart from the exceptions listed under who can apply.

How to apply

Check your own eligibility against the funding-history rules and that your organisation is registered on the UKRI Funding Service (Je-S is not used)
Optional: watch the recording of the 8 September 2023 Curiosity and Catalyst webinar (BSL interpreted)
Start an application on the UKRI Funding Service (https://funding-service.ukri.org/OPP1411/apply/1439) and confirm you are the project lead
Answer the questions: summary, core team, vision (including how the award will accelerate your trajectory and develop everyone involved), approach, applicant and team capability (R4RI format, naming any mentor here), resources and cost justification, ethics and RRI, animals, GMOs, human participation, project partners, eligibility statement (up to 250 words), discipline classification and Trusted Research and Innovation
Upload project partners' letters of support as a single PDF, if you have partners
Send the completed application to your research office for checking; they return it to you if it needs editing
Your research office submits the checked application to AHRC (there is no closing date; AHRC starts processing it as soon as it is received)

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. Letters of support are not needed from the host, co-lead or other UK research organisations.

Have ready

Online application on the UKRI Funding Service
Eligibility statement (up to 250 words) confirming the lead has not led a significant grant or fellowship, or explaining how a past award fits the permitted exceptions
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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