What are highlight notices?
Highlight notices are intended to stimulate proposals under specified themes or initiatives in order to rapidly advance thinking in these areas. Usually, highlight notices are offered as opportunities within existing AHRC research schemes and are therefore assessed under the same criteria and assessment process. This is an opportunity for the arts and humanities research community, working in partnership with other individuals and organisations, to shape the development of themes and initiatives by identifying new, emerging areas of research.
Applicants are encouraged to make the most of the flexibility offered by the standard AHRC research schemes to stimulate creative and innovative ideas and approaches under emerging themes and initiatives. To encourage this, descriptions of these themes and initiatives are usually intended to guide inquiry rather than prescribe individual research topics.
Proposals relevant to the highlight notice can be submitted at any time while the highlight notice is in effect, and will be assessed alongside standard proposals using the same criteria. All proposals will be assessed on their quality and individual merits. Although proposals addressing the highlight notice will not be given priority in the assessment or ranking of applications, in the event that the highlight notice stimulates significant additional applications to the scheme, AHRC will consider increasing the overall scheme budget so that highly ranked proposals, whether submitted under the highlight notice or to the standard scheme, are funded.
It is hoped that successful proposals addressing the highlight notice will help to build capacity for the themes and inform their future development, for example by feeding back progress to the relevant subject team at the AHRC, AHRC representatives attending events related to the award, or through coordinated activities organised by the AHRC. They will also be expected to produce a short report at the end of the award summarising the outcomes of the work undertaken and the potential for the future development of the theme, for example by highlighting potential innovative new multi-disciplinary research, partnership or knowledge exchange opportunities under the theme.
Current funding opportunities
This highlight notice applies to the the following funding opportunities:
- Research Networking
- Fellowships
The highlight notice will remain in place initially until April 2011. We will review the highlight notice early in 2011 in the light of the initial response to decide whether it should be extended, amended or withdrawn.
Please see further information below.
Research Networking scheme
The purpose of the highlight notice is to stimulate the development of innovative boundary-crossing proposals under the Research Networking Scheme which are relevant to the four new AHRC research themes that emerged from the Future Directions consultation:
and to the new AHRC-led cross-Council Programme on:
- Connected Communities.
For further details about these themes or the Connected Communities Programme please click on the links above.
Details of the Research Networking Scheme, its aims, assessment criteria and application requirements can be found on the funding opportunity page and in the 
AHRC Research Funding Guide (919kb).
The Research Networking Scheme remains entirely open to proposals addressing any topic and proposals to the scheme do not need to address any of these themes.
Additional information for proposals applying under the highlight notice (to be read in conjunction with the AHRC Research Funding Guide 919kb).
Applicants wishing to submit a proposal in response to the highlight notice should include a paragraph at the beginning of their Case for Support outlining which theme they are addressing and how they envisage their research could contribute towards it. Within the Case for Support, full details should be given of who will be involved in the project, including any collaborative partners and how the theme will be addressed.
Fellowships scheme
The purpose of the highlight notice is to stimulate the development of innovative collaborative proposals under the Fellowships scheme which are relevant to the four new AHRC research themes that emerged from the Future Directions consultation:
and to the new AHRC-led cross-Council Programme on:
- Connected Communities.
In particular the highlight notice seeks to encourage researchers to take advantage of the opportunities that a concentrated period of research time offers and to support them to work collaboratively with other research teams or disciplines (including the sciences), internationally or with partners outside HEIs (e.g. with policy, community, cultural or voluntary organisations) and to work in different settings or contexts, for example by immersing themselves in a different cultural, academic or organisational environment or community. Please note that, unlike standard Fellowships proposals, those submitted in response to the highlight notice must involve collaboration.
For further details about these themes or the Connected Communities Programme please click on the links above.
Details of the Fellowships Scheme, its aims, assessment criteria and application requirements can be found in the AHRC Research Funding Guide) (919kb).
The Fellowships Scheme remains entirely open to proposals addressing any topic and proposals to the scheme do not need to address any of these themes.
The highlight notice will remain in place initially until April 2011. We will review the highlight notice early in 2011 in the light of the initial response to decide whether it should be extended, amended or withdrawn.
Additional information for proposals applying under the highlight notice (to be read in conjunction with the AHRC Research Funding Guide 919kb).
Fellowship applications addressing the highlight notice may apply for funding for projects that are at an earlier stage of development than might normally be expected for an AHRC fellowship application, whilst still building as appropriate on the fellow’s research experience and expertise. Even if at an earlier stage of development, the Fellowship will be expected to lead to significant research outputs (although these could take a wide variety of forms) which should be described in the application. We envisage that the ideas which emerge from the funded projects will help us to identify exciting and emerging avenues of research which could contribute to the future development of the themes.
Proposals addressing the themes outlined in the highlight call can be submitted to both the standard and early career routes of the Fellowships scheme. Further details of the scheme can be found on the following pages of our website:
Fellowships standard route: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Pages/Fellowships.aspx
Fellowships early career route: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Pages/Fellowshipserc.aspx
Applicants wishing to submit a proposal in response to the highlight notice should include a paragraph at the beginning of their Case for Support outlining which theme they are addressing and how they envisage their research could contribute towards it. Within the Case for Support, full details should be given of who will be involved in the project, including any collaborative partners and how the theme will be addressed.
The AHRC work with the RCUK Shared Services Centre (SSC) to deliver all of our funding activities. All queries regarding eligibility for funding and applications in progress and also queries regarding current awards, should be directed to the SSC team dealing with your subject area using the contacts page.