Just launched is a unique research funding opportunity that could allow UK arts and humanities academics access to up to one million Euros funding for collaborative research projects.

Organised by HERA (Humanities in the European Research Area) and facilitated in the UK through the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) this Joint Research Programme (JRP) call is intended to enable trans-national Collaborative Research Projects (CRPs) in two humanities research areas:

“Cultural dynamics: Inheritance and identity”
and
“Humanities as a Source of Creativity and Innovation”.

This call is open to all UK humanities and arts academics and to ensure as many UK academics as possible have an opportunity to participate in this research call the AHRC will be holding two briefings at the end of January in London (29th) and Glasgow (30th) on how best to put an application together. 

The briefings will provide a significant opportunity to ask questions about the programmes themes, eligibility and how to apply. It will also be an opportunity to network and forge new contacts. If you would like to attend this event, please email hera@ahrc.ac.uk and indicate which of the two sessions you would like to attend

By launching this first HERA JRP call for proposals, 13 national funding partners want to create collaborative, trans-national research opportunities that will derive new insights from humanities research in order to address major social, cultural, and political challenges facing Europe. In consultation with their national researcher communities, they have jointly defined and developed common research priorities, and created a new trans-national funding mechanism.

The beneficiaries of this Call are eligible scholars located in Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and United Kingdom, irrespective of their nationality.

Successful proposals will require the building of consortia of three or more partners based in three or more different HERA JRP countries (e.g. UK, Netherlands, Austria etc).

HERA JRP collaborative research projects are humanities-driven, but do not exclude participation from other disciplines that are relevant to addressing the theme of the call.

Outline Proposals need to be submitted electronically via the HERA website by 7 April and it is expected that Full Proposals will be invited in May 2009 with 1 September 2009 as expected deadline for submission.

A Programme-specific website can be consulted for the latest updates at http://www.heranet.info

ENDS

Media Contact: Jake Gilmore, Communications Manager, j.gilmore@ahrc.ac.uk. Tel: 0797 099 4586

Editors Notes

Arts & Humanities Research Council: Each year the AHRC provides approximately £100 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 1,000 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.

HERA – Humanities in the European Research Area - is a partnership between fifteen Humanities Research Councils across Europe and the European Science Foundation, with the objective of firmly establishing the humanities in the European Research Area and in the 6/7th Framework Programmes. HERA has been designed to deliver new levels of co-operative research policy and practice in the humanities by embarking on an ambitious programme of communication, enquiry and sharing of expertise. Over a period of four years (2004-2008) partners are dedicated to the establishment of best practise in funding mechanisms, research priorities, humanities infrastructure and the development of a transnational funding programme. HERA is financed by the EU Framework programme 6's ERA-NET scheme and was established from the ERA-NET ERCH (European Network for research Councils in the Humanities) formulated by the Danish, Dutch and Irish Research Councils.   www.heranet.info