New "Impact Requirements" for AHRC & ESRC grant applications

From 23rd March 2009, applicants for Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) research and fellowship grant proposals are required to include a description in the application of the impact that their research will have on society and the economy.

If you have already been working on an application form on the Je-S system you will find that since 17th February a new section has automatically been added for an impact summary, which has a 4,000 character limit, including spaces and returns. If you are submitting a bid before 23rd March, you need to put in this box the words "Not applicable" and also add an Impact Plan in the attachments section that is a page also just saying "Impact Plan not applicable."

To find the specific guidance for AHRC and ESRC bids, if you click on "edit attachments" in your Je-S form, and then the help link in the top right corner, you will be taken to the attachment page of that councils help text. For ease here are links to the pages for AHRC and ESRC:

AHRC: Click here
ESRC: Click here

Click here for the Je-S Help guidance page which gives the summary information on the requirements.

The impact summary on the Proposal Form should address the following questions:

• Who will benefit from this research?
• How will they benefit from this research?
• What will be done to ensure that they have the opportunity to benefit from this research?

Peer reviewers for research grant proposals will be asked to consider:

• Whether the plans to increase impact are appropriate and justified, given the nature of the proposed research

Note: The impact summary may be published to demonstrate potential impact of Research Council funded research. Please ensure confidential information is not included in this section.

The Case for Support (and/or attached Impact Plan where required) should expand on the information contained in the impact summary and describe what will be done to increase the scale or likelihood of impact. In making your case, you should consider and describe any potential impacts of the research on society and the economy.

Article updated on 24/02/09 after additional email guidance from AHRC.

Small grants for Arts, Humanities and Social Science research on Iraq and neighbouring countries

The British Institute for the Study of Iraq (formerly the British School of Archaeology in Iraq) (BISI) promotes, supports and undertakes research on Iraq and neighbouring countries. Its academic coverage includes anthropology, archaeology, geography, history, language and related disciplines within the arts, humanities, and social sciences from the earliest times until the present.

Development Grants
Grants are available to support development events and projects, such as lectures, study days and popular publications, that relate to Iraq and neighbouring countries and to the areas of interest covered by BISI. A Development Grant will normally be for an amount up to £500, although more substantial grants may be made if merited.

BISI considers applications for Development Grants twice yearly. The deadlines for applications and references are 15 April and 15 October. BISI will let applicants know the decision concerning their application by early July or early January respectively.

Research and Conference Grants
The Institute invites funding applications twice a year for grants in aid of research or for the organisation of academic conferences. All applications and references must be received by 31 January or 31 October in any given year. Awards will normally fall within a limit of £4,000, though more substantial awards may be made.

Applicants must be residents of the UK or, exceptionally, other individuals whose academic research closely coincides with that of the BISI.

For more information see: http://www.britac.ac.uk/INSTITUTES/IRAQ/grants.htm

Keeping up with the techie trends – Twitter

I am guessing that not many people are following this blog yet, but if you are, you may also be curious about Twitter, which seems to be the new craze set to take over from Facebook. Always keen to try out new things, we have also set up a Twitter account and if you become a ‘follower’ we’ll post messages to alert you that the blog has new information. If you have a Twitter account and an application on a mobile device such as phone or iPod do a search for “OUArtsFunding” or have a look here.

Christian Trust Fund - possible small grants for research

The Sir Halley Stewart Trust funds two areas that may be of relevance to researchers in the Arts faculty (and/or possibly for inter-faculty collaboration), but this is a very long shot and is only included in this blog as reference information rather than encouragement to apply. The two areas are:

• Research focussing on developments in medical ethics (under their 'Medical' priority)
• Innovative projects which aim to facilitate a better understanding between faiths (under their 'Religion' priority)

Types of grant given: Grants are normally given in the form of a salary. The Trustees prefer to support innovative and imaginative people - often early in their research career - with whom they can develop a direct relationship. Applications should be submitted by those directly involved in the work - not development offices or paid fundraisers. (However, if any OU academic were to apply to this Trust they would need to follow OU procedures and receive RED Form approval). Sometimes a contribution towards the expenses of a project are given.

Grants are normally limited to 2 or 3 years, but are sometimes extended. They are paid to or through registered UK charities.

More information about this Trust and examples of projects and research that they have funded in the past can be found on their website at: http://www.sirhalleystewart.org.uk/index.html

Small research grants to study conflict phenomena and peace strategies

The International Peace Research Association (IPRA) Foundation provides small research grants (up to $3000) to support systematic observation or study of conflict phenomena and peace strategies. For more information please see: http://www.iprafoundation.org/application.shtml

Royal Historical Society Small Research Grants for Postgraduates

Royal Historical Society awards are intended principally for postgraduate students registered for a research degree at United Kingdom institutions of higher education (full-time and part-time); the Society will also consider applications from individuals who have completed doctoral dissertations within the last two years and are not yet in full-time employment.

Grants of between £75 - £500 are offered under four schemes:

• for individual travel to conferences
• for research expenses within the United Kingdom
• for research expenses outside the United Kingdom
• for organisers of workshops and conferences to encourage the participation of junior researchers

The average grant is for a sum of £250, and priority will be given to new applicants. All applicants, however, are expected to seek funding from their own institutions in the first instance. Please note that grants cannot be sought retrospectively.

The closing dates for applications in the year 2009 are:
for individual travel to conferences; research expenses within and outside the UK:

• 27 April 2009
• 19 June 2009
• 14 September 2009
• 16 November 2009

for organisers of workshops and conferences to encourage the participation of junior researchers:

• 27 April 2009
• 16 November 2009

For more information see: http://www.royalhistoricalsociety.org/postgraduates.htm

Papers invited on Swinburne for conference in July 2009 - closing date for proposals 28 Feb 2009

The Institute of English Studies, Senate House (London) is holding a conference on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th July, 2009 on the works of Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909, poet, dramatist, novelist and critic).

The organizers – Stefano Evangelista (Trinity, Oxford), Catherine Maxwell (Queen Mary, London), and Patricia Pulham (Portsmouth) – welcome papers on all aspects of Swinburne’s life and works (poetry, essays, dramas and novels), but are keen to receive proposals relating to writing produced after 1866.

Possible subject areas include: Swinburne and Classicism, Swinburne and Medievalism, Swinburne and the Arts (painting, music, sculpture), Swinburne and Aestheticism/Decadence, Swinburne and Modernism
Swinburne and France/Italy, Swinburne and Politics, Swinburne and his Influences, Swinburne and his Contemporaries, Swinburne and his Successors
Swinburne, Gender, and Sexuality, Swinburne and the Body/Senses, Swinburne, Style, Form, and/or Metre, Swinburne and Controversy, Swinburne’s Reception

Please email proposals (500 words maximum) for twenty-minute papers to all three organizers at the following addresses, stating your academic institution and status (if applicable) - c.h.maxwell@qmul.ac.uk, Patricia.Pulham@port.ac.uk, stefano-maria.evangelista@trinity.ox.ac.uk

Closing Date for proposals: 28 February 2009

Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909), poet, dramatist, novelist and critic, was late Victorian England’s unofficial Poet Laureate, admired by his contemporaries for his technical brilliance, his facility with classical and medieval forms, and his courage in expressing his sensual, erotic imagination. This international centenary conference aims to reclaim Swinburne’s position as the pre-eminent late nineteenth-century poet, to draw attention to the breadth and diversity of his oeuvre, to re-evaluate his considerable achievements, and to assess his impact on those who came after. In addition to the three distinguished plenary speakers – Jerome McGann, Terry Meyers, and Yopie Prins – the conference aims to attract both those with specialist interests in Swinburne and those keen to extend their knowledge of one of the most exciting literary figures of the Victorian age. It aims to stimulate further academic scholarship on Swinburne, with the specific intention of producing an edited collection of the best papers resulting from the conference. The conference is also timed to allow delegates to attend the joint BAVS/NAVSA conference 13-15 July 2009, Churchill College, Cambridge.