THE Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is delighted to announce a new framework for funding collaboration between German-based and UK-based humanities researchers.

This funding collaboration between the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the AHRC is intended to broaden and deepen the existing strong links between the German and UK research communities. This agreement will cover specifically those arts and humanities fields which are common to both the AHRC and the DFG.

Signed at the end of 2007 this Memorandum of Understanding will enable project teams of German-based and UK-based researchers to be jointly funded. The framework will avoid double jeopardy by allowing researchers to submit a single integrated proposal to one funding agency which will lead on the application and peer review process.

AHRC Chief Executive Professor Philip Esler welcomed the new agreement and said “This new funding framework with the DFG will enable two strong humanities research communities to have a greater number of opportunities to work together than were previously available”.

Either DFG or AHRC may be the lead agency for processing applications, depending on the subject matter of the application. The division of the shared subject domain will be reversed every year. A division of their shared subject domain for this year according to panel is available along with detailed guidance to applicants.

Applications should be sent to the agency responsible for the specific subject and should follow the submission rules of this agency. The deadlines for this first round will be 5 June 2008 for applications submitted to both AHRC and DFG.

ENDS

Media enquiries to:

Emi Spinner, Communications Officer. Tel: 0117 987 6770 or e-mail: e.spinner@ahrc.ac.uk.

Editors Notes:

Arts and Humanities Research Council - Each year the AHRC provides approximately £90 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from archaeology and English literature to design and dance. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,500 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. Arts and humanities researchers constitute nearly a quarter of all research-active staff in the higher education sector. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG - German Research Foundation): The DFG is the central public funding organisation responsible for promoting research in Germany. Its activities focus on funding research projects carried out by scientists and academics working at universities or research institutes and on selecting the best projects in a process of fair and transparent competition. The work of the DFG serves all branches of science and the humanities to reflect its role as the self-governing organisation of German science and research. Its legal status is that of an association under private law. DFG membership is made up of German universities, non-university research institutions, scientific associations as well as the Academies of Science and Humanities. The DFG receives its funding from the federal (Bund) and state (Länder) authorities, which are represented on all decision-making bodies, whereas scientists and academics hold the majority. www.dfg.de/en/