The AHRC, in collaboration with Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) have developed an initiative based around networks of institutions who will set up Collaborative Partnerships (centres) to sustain and encourage research into area studies and related languages in certain strategically critical but undersubscribed areas.
The overarching aim of this new initiative is to create a world class cadre of researchers who have the language skills to undertake contextually informed research that will ultimately enhance the UK's understanding of the following areas:
- The Arabic speaking world
- China
- Japan, and
- Eastern Europe, including areas of the former Soviet Union.
The initiative has provided funding for five Language-Based Area Studies Centres. These are:
Each Centre is made up of one lead Higher Education Institute and at least one other partner Higher Education Institute. Each of the Centres has been established for five years in the first instance.
47 studentships have been awarded across the five centres in the first year of operation.
Details of the centres research themes (66kb).