Funding opportunity

Funding opportunity: AHRC Cultural heritage research translated into climate change policy

Opportunity status:: Closed
Funders:: Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
Co-funders:: Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
Funding type:: Grant
Total fund:: £300,000
Award range:: £45,000 - £60,000
Publication date:: 16 April 2024
Opening date:: 16 April 2024 9:00am UK time
Closing date:: 20 June 2024 4:00pm UK time

Apply for funding to maximise the impact of UK arts and humanities research, and ensure it supports cultural heritage and cultural voices to play an essential role in climate planning for the future. This funding offers the opportunity to translate cultural heritage research into policy and societal benefits.

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funding. The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £60,000. AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC.

Projects will be funded to a maximum of six months and must start on 2 September 2024 and be completed by 31 March 2025.

Who can apply

Before applying for funding, check the Eligibility of your organisation.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new UKRI Funding Service.

For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual.

Who is eligible to apply

To be eligible for this funding opportunity you must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for AHRC funding.

Project leads must be actively engaged in postdoctoral research and be of postdoctoral standing. This means you must have a doctorate or can demonstrate in your application that you have equivalent research experience or training. You must have a level of skills, knowledge and experience that is appropriate to your proposed project.

Applications from early career researchers are particularly encouraged. We recognise the important pipeline for growing researcher capacity in the UK. Support for leadership from early career researchers and showing that you have the right skills at the right level should be clearly explained in your application. If the project lead is an early career researcher, as defined by AHRC, a mentor can be included within the application. This mentor must be clearly outlined in the resources and cost justification section of the application form.

There is no maximum number of co-investigators that can be included on the application. However, the inclusion of each co-investigator needs to be fully justified in the proposal.

You must be either:

employed by the research organisation submitting the proposal
have an existing written formal arrangement with the research organisation confirming that you will be able to carry out the research as if you were an employee
scheduled to move to the research organisation before the proposed start date of the grant

For more information on eligibility read our research funding guide.

This funding opportunity is part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment. This is a form of government aid. To see if your proposal is eligible, see the ODA section.

Resubmissions

You cannot resubmit a previous UKRI application to this funding opportunity.

Who is not eligible to apply

researchers who do not have a PhD or equivalent experience

International applicants

We encourage international researchers to participate as project co-leads. See sections two and three of the AHRC research funding guide for details on eligibility of researchers, organisations and costs.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:

career breaks
support for people with caring responsibilities
flexible working
alternative working patterns

Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI and AHRC’s equality, diversity and inclusion policy.

What we're looking for

Aim

This scheme aims to:

ensure the formation and translation of cultural heritage research into policy and societal benefits, while also encouraging networking opportunities
as a broader programme, provide a transparent, long-term vision for UK cultural heritage and climate research to support more impactful and long-term interventions
expand the scope of the programme to explicitly consider the ways in which tangible and intangible cultural heritage can also build resilience and contribute to climate action
encourage and support research that is co-designed and co-produced with the cultural heritage sector
encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, including co-production and co-design of research and knowledge with communities

Scope

In the wake of human-made disasters, and the increasing risks posed to cultural heritage by climate change, the need for improved preparedness measures is a key priority for the global heritage community.

Funded as a part of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) and working collaboratively with other partners such as the British Council since 2020, this partnership programme with DCMS has explored preventive and reactive measures, methods and practices that cultural heritage (and the broader arts and humanities) can provide in response to climate change threats across a broad range of communities in ODA countries (via in-country partners).

This has produced two main research outputs 1) into safeguarding culture heritage at risk from climate change and 2) research into how culture heritage can support net zero and biodiversity preservation ambitions, for example through local and indigenous knowledge derived solutions.

Following the success of the original cohort and the impacts of the programme to date, this new funding opportunity is designed to encourage and support the formation and translation of cultural heritage in shaping climate change policy. It also provides the platform to strengthen existing partnerships maintained by projects in ODA-eligible countries, offering networking and knowledge exchange opportunities.

It will do this through the offer of cohort meetings and a policy workshop to generate continued collegiate discussion. A facilitated policy workshop will be arranged after the awards have started in September/October 2024.

This funding opportunity will help shape and inform the future direction and phases of this programme, with a view to expanding the programme’s reach and capability through a longer-term ambition of a Research Observatory/Hub and spoke model.

For more information on the background of this programme and where this funding opportunity originates from, go to the Additional information section.

Duration

The duration of this award is a maximum of six months.

Projects must start by 2 September 2024.

Funding available

The FEC of your project can be between £45,000 and £60,000.

We will fund 80% of the FEC.

Our standard international co-investigator and international funding policy applies but with some additional provisions for the costs of equitable partnership work undertaken at an overseas organisation in Low or Middle Income Countries (LMIC) (meaning all countries on the Development Assistance Country list).

The following will be paid at 100% FEC and should be entered as exceptions:

costs incurred for overseas co-investigators and any locally employed staff, for example, percent of actual salary based on time worked on the grant
costs incurred by the overseas organisation and associated with the research, for example, consumables, field work, translation costs, supporting inclusive participation
costs incurred by overseas investigators or staff for travel and expenses
a contribution towards indirect and estates costs at overseas organisations in LMIC/developing countries is permissible, calculated at up to 20% of the total direct costs charged to the grant relating to the activities of the LMIC co-investigator or investigators

However, please note that international co-investigators and other partners from countries due to graduate from the DAC list may be included in applications but will be expected to be costed in line with our standard co-investigator policy and not the enhanced funding available to other co-investigators/partners from DAC list countries.

The UK has committed to aligning ODA spending with the Paris Agreement, which in practical terms means:

using an appropriate carbon price in relevant bilateral programme appraisal
ensuring any investment support for fossil fuels affecting emissions is in line with the Paris Agreement temperature goals and transition plans
implementing a proportionate approach to climate risk assurance
ensuring that relevant programmes do not undermine the ambition in countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and adaptation plans

In implementing the project, you agree to adhere to these requirements, working with officials in AHRC and DCMS in applying these rules.

Key variations to the standard AHRC policy on international co-investigator policy for this ODA funding opportunity are:

There is no 30% limit on total overseas co-investigator costs for individuals based in developing countries (on the DAC list), although a 30% limit applies to costs associated with overseas co-investigators who are not based in developing countries on the DAC list. Please refer to sections two and three of the AHRC research funding guide for details on eligibility of such costs.
In addition to the costs for overseas academic co-investigators, costs for third sector/NGO partners may also be funded at 100% FEC, normally subject to 30% overall limit of the total cost of an award at 100% FEC; where the 30% limit is exceeded a full justification in terms of the intellectual and practical contribution to the research of the third sector partner should be provided. In addition, staff salaries at third sector/NGO organisations are not expected to exceed one FTE each year.
A contribution towards indirect and estates costs can be made for overseas organisations within DAC list (LMIC) countries, calculated at up to 20% of the total eligible direct costs charged to the grant directly relating to the activities of the LMIC co-investigator. However, in line with the standard AHRC co-investigator policy, estates/indirect/overhead costs cannot be requested for international co-investigators employed by academic organisations which are not based in a DAC list country (meaning research organisations located in developed countries and their subsidiaries). LMIC indirect and estates costs must be included within the overall £60,000 limit (at 100% FEC) for applications under this highlight notice. Please note that as indirect costs can be claimed for overseas co-investigators it is not possible to request direct costs to cover basic office and facilities (for example, library access etc.) and minor/day-to-day consumables (for example, photocopying, telephone calls, etc.) although major additional research related costs (for example, linked to specific research methods such as survey/fieldwork costs or development of project-specific digital resources) may be requested as direct costs where appropriate.

What we will fund

projects that strengthen existing in-country partnerships and support research-related knowledge exchange and impact activities
projects that are interested in translating cultural heritage research into meaningful policy impacts in combating climate change
projects that are interested in how cultural heritage can support net zero and biodiversity preservation ambitions

There is no limit on the amount of the grant which can be requested for international co-investigators in DAC list countries. AHRC’s standard 30% cap on international co-investigator costs (paid at 100% FEC) applies to International co-investigators in developed country contexts. The Justification of Resources document submitted with your application should include individual figures for the total amount of international funding, and the total amount of UK funding being requested.

Please ensure budget breakdowns between high income, LMIC researchers and partners are justified and appropriate in respect to the equitable partnership aims of this ODA funding scheme.

Where the project lead is an early career researcher a mentor must be costed within the application.

Where mentoring is included for the investigators or research assistants, salary costs to cover the mentor’s time can be claimed from the grant.

Mentor’s time should be built into the budget as a directly allocated cost and entered in the application form in the other directly allocated costs section.

Costs may be included to support inclusive participation in development impact activities, for example in terms of translation costs or support for carers. These may be incurred by either the UK or LMIC partners as appropriate. Where possible accessible venues and facilities should be selected; please note that infrastructure costs cannot be requested for example to make structural alterations to venues or sites for improved accessibility.

What we will not fund

UK only focused projects – projects must have existing in-country partnerships
funding cannot be used to support research that does not promote a DAC list country
original research that only focuses on climate change and omits or does not consider cultural heritage as methodology or disciplinary framing
provision of direct development aid or emergency assistance, supplies or equipment

Please note that this scheme can only provide funding for research projects and research-related knowledge exchange and impact activities. It cannot fund projects which are primarily focused on provision of direct development aid or emergency assistance, supplies or equipment. In addition, capital or infrastructure expenditure (for example, basic office/ laboratory/accommodation furniture or equipment, building/site construction, maintenance or refurbishment work, etc.) is not an eligible cost under this funding opportunity. However, additional costs incurred by existing facilities or infrastructures relating to their use as a part of the research or in the archiving of project-specific research data and outputs may be considered.

Given the short duration of funding additional costs for equipment purchase under £10,000 will only be considered on an exceptional basis where significant use of equipment is required primarily or solely for the proposed activity or where this is more cost effective than other options, such as hiring equipment.

Supporting skills and talent

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.

International collaboration

Attention should be given to equitable ways of working internationally and to appropriate funding and recognition for international partners contributing to the research or impact activity.

Our standard international co-investigator and international funding policy applies but with some additional provisions for international co-investigators, LMIC-led applications and for equitable partnership work undertaken at an overseas organisation in LMICs (meaning all countries on the DAC list).

Applications will need to be submitted by the principal investigator’s research organisation to confirm their willingness to administer the grant and support the follow-on activities proposed, including meeting the 20% FEC contribution to UK costs not covered by the AHRC award.

Where projects involve international co-investigators or the sub-contracting of significant elements of the funding or research delivery to international partners, it will be a condition of funding that the UK research organisation undertakes appropriate and proportionate due diligence and financial assurance.

Where applications are led by a DAC list partner research organisation, that organisation will itself have to complete UKRI due diligence checks (if not already completed oralready the award holding institution) and conduct proportionate due diligence assurance checks on any other non-UK eligible research organisations receiving funding through the grant.

A further condition will be that award holders ensure that partner organisations have in place contextually appropriate procedures for addressing issues of gender, equalities, diversity and inclusion, research integrity, safeguarding, data protection, fraud prevention and compliance with the other standard terms and conditions of UKRI grants.

If your application includes international applicants, project partners or collaborators, visit UKRI’s trusted research and innovation for more information on effective international collaboration.

Find out about getting funding for international collaboration.

How to apply

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

To apply

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

Confirm you are the project lead.
Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email support@funding-service.ukri.org
Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service.
Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the ‘How to apply’ section on this Funding finder page.
Allow enough time to check your application in the ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it requires editing.
Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant:

Use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words.
Insert each new image onto a new line.
Provide a descriptive caption for each image immediately underneath (this counts towards your word limit).
Files must be smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format.

Watch our research office webinars about the new Funding Service.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

References

Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers, such as digital object identifiers, should be used. Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. You should use your discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

References should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors for example, (Smith, Research Paper, 2019).

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.

Deadline

We must receive your application by 20 June 2024 at 4:00pm UK time.

You will not be able to apply after this time.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.

Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

Personal data

Processing personal data

AHRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.

We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.

AHRC, as part of UKRI, will need to share the application and any personal information that it contains with DCMS so that they can participate in the assessment process. For more information on how DCMS uses personal information, read the Government Digital Service Privacy notice.

Publication of outcomes

AHRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at AHRC Board and panel outcomes.

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.

Summary

Word limit: 550

In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:

opinion-formers
policymakers
the public
the wider research community

Guidance for writing a summary

Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:

context
the challenge the project addresses
aims and objectives
potential applications and benefits

Core team

List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:

project lead (PL)
project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))
specialist
grant manager
professional enabling staff
research and innovation associate

Only list one individual as project lead.

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Application questions

Discipline classification: primary

Word limit: 5

Please provide the primary research area of your application.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

You must select from one of these research disciplines:

archaeology
area studies
classics
cultural and museum studies
dance
design
development studies
drama and theatre studies
education
history
human geography
information and communication technologies
languages and literature
law and legal studies
library and information studies
linguistics
media
music
philosophy
political science and international studies
social anthropology
theology, divinity and religion
visual arts

This information will be used for the purposes of processing your application and in the selection of appropriate assessors.

Discipline classification – secondary

Word limit: 50

Please describe, using keywords, the research area of your application and where relevant the approach, time period or geographical area.

This will further help with the selection of appropriate assessors.

Vision

Word limit: 500

What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how your proposed work:

is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area
is timely given current trends, context, and needs
impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the service.

References may be included within this section.

You should demonstrate how your proposed work will:

formulate and translate cultural heritage research into policy and societal benefit
consider the ways in which tangible and intangible cultural heritage can build resilience and contribute to climate action
co-design and co-produce research and knowledge with relevant communities
co-design and co-produce research with the cultural heritage sector

Approach

Word limit: 2,500

How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how you have designed your approach so that it:

is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
uses a clearly written and transparent methodology (if applicable)
summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed (if applicable)
will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the service.

References may be included within this section.

Applicant and team capability to deliver

Word limit: 1,650

Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:

the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others
contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

The word count for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the R4RI format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.

Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings:

contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
contributions to the wider research and innovation community
contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit

Additions

Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).

Complete this as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.

References may be included within this section.

UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new Funding Service.

For full details, see Eligibility as an individual.

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Word limit: 500

What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:

the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations
how you will manage these considerations

If you are collecting or using data, briefly identify:

any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing or storing the data including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further reuse of data
formal information standards with which your study will comply

You should consider the impact of your research on any of the communities involved in the co-design or co-production of knowledge and research.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the service.

Project partners

Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.

A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities.

Add the following project partner details:

the organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable)
the project partner contact name and email address
the type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value

If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Project partners: letters (or emails) of support

Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the Project Partner section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box, or if you do not have any project partners enter N/A. Each letter or email you provide should:

confirm the partner’s commitment to the project
clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them
describe any additional value that they bring to the project
be no more than 2 sides of A4 per partner

The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the project partners’ section.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Official Development Assistance (ODA): compliance eligibility

Word limit: 500

How does your proposed work meet ODA compliance eligibility?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

To demonstrate how your proposed work meets ODA compliance criteria, please explain:

which country or countries on the DAC list will directly benefit from this proposal
how your proposal is directly and primarily relevant to the development challenges of these countries
how you expect the outcomes of your proposed activities will promote the economic development and welfare of a country or countries on the DAC list
how the proposed activity is appropriate to address the development need
the approaches you will use to deliver development impact within the lifetime of the project and in the longer term, considering the potential outcomes, the key beneficiary and stakeholder groups and how they will be engaged to enable development impact to be achieved.

This funding opportunity is part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment. This is government aid that promotes and specifically targets the economic development and welfare of developing countries as its primary objective.

You should ensure that your proposal focuses on the challenges specific to the partner country or countries and not broader global issues, meaning those that are transboundary beyond low and middle-income countries (LMICs). It is accepted that ODA-funded research may have benefits to the UK or other high-income countries, however, these should be secondary to be development objectives of the project.

You should consider whether these countries are likely to continue to be eligible for the duration of the research, noting that ODA funding cannot be used to support research that does not promote a DAC list country. Please note there may be eligibility restrictions specific to the funding opportunity you are applying to; you and other applicants should refer to the Funding Finder to confirm eligibility before applying. When assessing whether an activity is eligible for ODA funding under this funding opportunity, We will consider whether projects satisfy OECD criteria on eligibility.

Applications will be assessed through a competitive assessment process with ODA eligibility being a criterion for approval, meaning, projects must be fully ODA eligible to be considered for funding. Initial ODA eligibility checks will be carried out by UKRI; proposals that do not meet the eligibility criteria may be rejected without reference to assessment. The assessment panel will also be provided with this guidance and asked to comment on ODA eligibility and likelihood of significant development impact.

ODA Gender Equality Statement

Word limit: 400

How does your proposed work demonstrate sufficient consideration of gender equality?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a Gender Equality Statement that explains:

how measures have been put in place to ensure equal and meaningful opportunities for people of different genders to be involved throughout the project, including the development of the project, the participants of the research and innovation and the beneficiaries of the research and innovation
the expected impact of the project (benefits and losses) on people of different genders, both throughout the project and beyond
the impact on the relations between people of different genders and people of the same gender. For example, changing roles and responsibilities in households, society, economy, politics, power, etc.
how any risks and unintended negative consequences on gender equality will be avoided or mitigated against, and monitored
if there are any relevant outcomes and outputs being measured, with data disaggregated by age and gender (where disclosed)

All ODA funding must adhere to the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014. To meet this, all applications to UKRI ODA calls must provide a Gender Equality Statement. Read further guidance for applicants on writing Gender Equality Statements and how to consider gender within your research proposal.

For funding opportunities under the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF), all ODA funding must adhere to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) Gender Equality Policy.

UKRI/AHRC and expert assessment panel will determine whether your proposal has demonstrated sufficient consideration of gender equality.

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 1,000

What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:

project staff
significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)
any equipment that will cost more than £10,000
any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
all facilities and infrastructure costs
all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’

Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate that the resources you anticipate requiring for your proposed work:

are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
maximise potential outcomes and impacts

How we will assess your application

Assessment process

We will assess your application using the following process.

Panel

We will invite panel experts to review and individually score your application. They will then collectively assess the quality of your application and rank it alongside other applications at the panel meeting, after which the panel will make a funding recommendation.

Timescale

We aim to complete the assessment process within two months of receiving your application.

Projects must start by 2 September 2024.

Feedback

We will give feedback with the outcome of your application, in the form of comments from the panel.

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision making.

Sharing data with co-funders

We will need to share the application (including any personal information that it contains) with DCMS so that they can participate in the assessment process.

For more information on how DCMS uses personal information read their privacy notice.

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

Assessment areas

The assessment areas we will use are:

Vision
Approach
Applicant and Team capability to deliver
Ethics and RRI
Project Partner Letters of Support
ODA eligibility
ODA Gender Equality Statement
Resources and costs

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Contact details

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers are not provided on this page.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UKRI Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the Helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding Finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of an opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact Details

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

Primary AHRC contact: James Fenner, Senior Investment Manager, Heritage, Culture and Creative Arts team – hcca@ahrc.ukri.org

Isobel Guyver, Investment Manager, Heritage, Culture and Creative Arts team – hcca@ahrc.ukri.org

Primary DCMS contact: Joanne McCafferty, International Cultural Heritage Protection Programme Officer – joanne.mccafferty@dcms.gov.uk

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact hcca@ahrc.ukri.org

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org

Phone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm
Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

You can also find information on submitting an application.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email hcca@ahrc.ukri.org

Include in the subject line: AHRC DCMS Cultural Heritage research translated into climate change policy; sensitive information; [your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include:

individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
declaration of interest
additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
the application is an invited resubmission

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.

Additional info

Background

In 2020 AHRC and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) launched a funding partnership, funded as a part of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA), to support research on how developing countries could respond more effectively to the challenges for cultural heritage resulting from natural disasters and climate change.

Proposals were sought which responded in an agile way in order to inform future research and policy in this area, ranging in scope from prevention and resilience; to preparedness and (emergency) response; to living with, and adapting to change or loss.

In the 2021-22 financial year a time limited follow-on funding opportunity was provided to support the extension of projects to enhance engagement and impact activities and support the sharing of learning across projects. This was a closed funding opportunity for the original cohort of nine grants awarded in 2020. All seven projects that applied were awarded funding.

2022 saw a further follow-on funding opportunity become available from DCMS, which had the objective of enhancing the engagement with, and impact from, the original cohort projects. Nine applications were received and, of these, five were awarded funding.

While the programme has been successful in awarding a diverse range of projects to respond more effectively to the challenges for cultural heritage resulting from climate change, there has been little time to stop and reflect on the outputs, benefits and impacts.

Following a pause/reflection of the programme and cohort to date to inform a future phase of the programme, and a subsequent commissioned research project on the programme, AHRC and DCMS are pleased to offer this funding opportunity.

Funding for this funding opportunity, and indeed the programme as a whole, is 100% DCMS funding – stemming from a three-year grant agreement between AHRC and DCMS (2022-25) – specifically from the International Cultural Heritage Protection Programme.

This funding opportunity will help shape and inform the future direction and phases of this programme, with a view to expanding the programme’s reach and capability through a longer-term goal of a Research Observatory/Hub and spoke model.

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

breaks and delays
disruptive working patterns and conditions
the loss of ongoing work
role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Assessment panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Further information

Visit the CHCC OBSERVATORY Hub webpages for further details about the original cohort of nine projects and subsequent projects from 2020 to 2024.