AHRC Themes: Overview

Christie WalkerStrategy & Development Manager

8 November 2012

• Science in Culture

• Digital Transformations

• Care for the Future

• Translating Cultures

• Connected Communities

(with other RCs)

AHRC Strategic Themes

AHRC Strategic Themes: Development

• ‘Future Directions’ consultation (Feb-May 2009)

• Further consultation e.g. with key partners &

Subject Associations, institutional visits etc

• Development by Advisory Board & Council

• Knowledge exchange, international, capacity

building, public policy, partnership activities

• Larger consortia grants

• Building on previous AHRC programmes &

supporting cross-council programmes

Science in Culture

• Understanding and developing the reciprocal relationship

between the sciences and the arts & humanities

• Historical evolution of science; creativity, discovery &

argumentation in science; science as a system of knowledge

• Impact on values, beliefs & ‘world views’; cultural, religious,

ethical and legal dimensions; representation of science in

language, literature, art, imagery, museums etc;

• Anticipating & influencing future controversies and

enhancing public debates & engagement

• Emerging areas such as medical and health humanities

Digital Transformations

• Focus on how digital technologies can transform the arts and

humanities and transform how arts & humanities research is

done

• Ensuring that arts & humanities research is at the forefront of

tackling crucial issues, e.g. intellectual property, cultural

memory and identity, communication and creativity in the

digital age, issues of access

• Not simply about studying technology and its use in arts &

humanities but also encouraging innovation in developing and

using technology as well

Care for the FutureThinking Forward Through the Past

• “generating new understandings of the relationship between

the past and the future, and the challenges and opportunities

of the present, through a temporally inflected lens”

• Exploring changing values, perceptions, beliefs and identities,

both shared and contested, and at multiple scales from the

local to the global

• Sub-themes: cultural notions of the future; changing families

and communities; cultures and heritage – adapting for the

future; environmental change and sustainability; global trauma,

conflict, cultural memory and transitions to new futures

Translating Cultures

• Need for understanding & communication between/across diverse

cultures • Role of ‘translation’ / translation in the broadest sense• Engaging with concepts such as multiculturalism, tolerance &

identities• Exploring interactions such as youth language & online

language/identity • Promoting opportunities for work across language areas &

disciplines • 3 strategic questions: i) process & nature of translation &

interpreting; ii) developing understanding of diverse cultures: iii)

contributing to key public policy concerns

Connected Communities ProgrammeAims to: mobilise the potential for increasingly inter-connected,

culturally diverse, communities to enhance participation, prosperity, sustainability, health & well-being by better connecting research, stakeholders and communities.

www.connectedcommunities.ac.uk

Recent Activity (1) • Highlight notices:

– Fellowships (finishes end of December 2012)

– Networking and CfF in Research Grants (finished 30 October 2012)

• SiC, DT, CfF, TC:

– Theme Advisory Groups

– Development Awards made Feb 2012, finished Sept 2012 (SiC, DT,

TC)

– CfF Exploratory Awards call has just closed

– Digging into Data (DT)

– AHRC-NEH Joint Funding Initiative: Bridging Cultures (SiC)

Recent Activity (2) • SiC, DT, CfF, TC (continued):

– Theme Large Grant Expressions of Interest (SiC, DT, TC)

• Digital Transformations – 10 January 2013

• Science in Culture – 15 January 2013

• Translating Cultures – 17 January 2013

• Connected Communities:

– Research reviews and scoping studies

– Research Development Workshops (Communities, Culture,

Environment & Sustainability)

– Research Development Awards (Creative Economy; Health &

Wellbeing in Communities)

Recent Activity (3)

• Connected Communities (continued):

– Annual Summits for award holders with follow-up funding

– Joint calls with other Funders (e.g. ESRC-led Community

Engagement & Mobilisation)

– Overall, 208 Connected Communities awards have been made

Theme Leadership Fellows (1)

• Science in Culture: Professor Barry Smith, Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study

• Digital Transformations: Professor Andrew Prescott, Professor of Digital Humanities and Head of the Department of Digital Humanities, King’s College London

• Care for the Future: Professor Andrew Thompson, Professor of Modern History and Chair in History, University of Exeter

• Translating Cultures: Professor Charles Forsdick, James Barrow Professor of French and Head of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies, University of Liverpool

Theme Leadership Fellows (2)

• Connected Communities: – Professor George McKay, Professor of Cultural

Studies and Director of the Communication, Cultural and Media Studies Research Centre at MediaCityUK, University of Salford

– Professor Keri Facer, Professor of Educational & Social Futures, University of Bristol

Theme Leadership Fellows (3)

• Provide intellectual leadership and strategic advice on Theme development and enrich intellectual agenda for the Themes

• Take a lead in building a community of scholars• Identify and develop cross-cutting themes and fostering

synergies between thematic activities• Will act as ‘ambassadors’ for the Themes and will play a

key role in the development of strategic partnerships and broader Thematic communication and engagement activities

• Will also be developing their own leading-edge research agenda in areas relevant to the Theme

Future Activity (1)• Theme Large Grants:

– March 2013: Notification of EoI shortlisting outcomes

– May 2013: Closing date for full proposals

– August 2013: Notification of outcomes

– Between October 2013 and April 2014: Large grants to start

• Further activities and calls being developed for SiC, DT and

TC beyond Theme Large Grants

• CfF Large Theme Grants will likely be announced Summer

2013

• Digital Transformations Moot on 19 November 2012 in

London

Future Activity (2)• Connected Communities Research Development workshop

under the ‘Community Cultures, Diversity, Cohesion,

Exclusion & Conflict’ strand in 2013

• Connected Communities International Conference planned

for 2013

Thank you!