GrantRadar

UK Research and Innovation (AHRC)

AHRC Standard research grant: applicant-led mode

AHRC's main research grant for well-defined collaborative projects across the arts and humanities, led by a project lead with at least one project co-lead who jointly develop and manage the project and co-author its outputs. Projects cost £300,000 to £1.5 million 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, with regular decision points, and the lead must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for AHRC funding.

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 must include 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
  • 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, research or teaching post; archivists, curators, librarians, technicians and practitioners are welcome
  • International researchers can join as project co-lead (international); other international collaborators, and UK partners not at approved organisations, join as project partners (industry, academia, third sector or government, in the UK or overseas)
  • Demand management does not apply

What it funds

Well-defined collaborative research projects within AHRC's remit 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)

elements of individual research can be included if they add value. There is no minimum or maximum time commitment for leads and co-leads. If radiocarbon dates are needed, request them first from the NERC-funded National Environment Isotope Facility. 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
  • Uninvited resubmissions of projects already submitted to UKRI

How to apply

  1. Check your organisation is registered on the UKRI Funding Service (Je-S is not used) and that the research is within AHRC's remit
  2. Start an application on the UKRI Funding Service (https://funding-service.ukri.org/OPP1222/apply/1253) and confirm you are the project lead
  3. Answer the questions: summary, core team, vision, approach (2,750 words), applicant and team capability (R4RI format), resources and cost justification, ethics and RRI, animals, GMOs, human participation, project partners, discipline classification and Trusted Research and Innovation
  4. Upload project partners' letters of support as a single PDF, if you have partners
  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)

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. Do not send letters of support from the host, co-lead or other UK research organisations.

Have ready

  • Online application on the UKRI Funding Service
  • 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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