The AHRC will shortly be launching a new Skills Development Call. This call will aim to support institutions and other organisations in developing innovative, collaborative training packages, that will meet a range of capacity issues in the arts and humanities. Institutions will be able to bid for up to £60,000 of funding for each award to propose a mixture of activities and programmes that will respond to skills gaps or capacity issues in strategic areas of need. Awards will be for up to 18 months in duration. Programmes should support skills development for postgraduate students and/or early career researchers, and must be in one or more of the strategic areas of Modern Languages, Heritage and Design, identified in the Delivery Plan, or in one of the AHRC's Emerging Themes. Institutions will be asked to propose new and innovative programmes in response to this call, but some of the activities this funding may cover include: exchanges, networks, overseas study visits, placements and training programmes.
 
Proposals in response to this call must be led by a BGP or BGP CB holding research organisation. The proposal may involve other partners who do not hold an existing AHRC award, for example, other ROs or organisations from other sectors.
 
Full call guidance will be available on the AHRC website in the next two weeks, and the deadline for applications will be mid-December 2011. Awards will be expected to start in March 2012.
 
Please direct any queries to Jessica Bacon at j.bacon@ahrc.ac.uk, or 01793 416071 (working days Monday to Wednesday).