Funding to deliver novel, ambitious and transformative arts and humanities research projects at scale.
Teams should deliver world-leading excellent research that significantly advances knowledge and builds capability in their chosen area. They should also underpin their planned research with a clear pathway to impact, with sustainable benefits beyond the funded period of the project.
Full stage applications will be expected to articulate their planned impact through a logic model. Although evidence of this is not required at the outline stage, you may wish to begin using this framework as you develop your ideas.
ELIGIBILITY
Standard AHRC eligibility criteria and subject remits apply (if you are not sure your research falls within the remit of AHRC, use the Remit Query Form).
Projects can be single discipline, interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, or transdisciplinary. Applicants may integrate research from outside of AHRC’s subject remit where approaches, methods and knowledge from other disciplines can enrich the project’s capacity to deliver transformative research. However, the majority of the project’s disciplinary focus must fall within AHRC’s subject remit.
Large Grant awards must be team convened to facilitate the breadth and depth of expertise necessary to enact ground-breaking change at scale through research. In practice, this requires innovative and inclusive teams collaboratively designing research that integrates the following principles:
- identify appropriate expertise
- establish a collective leadership structure
- design inclusive governance
- identify ways to embed development for all
- engage in reflexive practice
Depending on the nature and needs of your project, teams could include core roles for technicians, professional service colleagues, or representatives from non-HEI organisations.
Further stipulations around team convening principles are contained in the ‘Additional Information’ section of the guidance document included below.
VALUE AND DURATION
The FEC of your project can be between £2 million and £3 million.
You are not expected to provide a comprehensive work plan or costings at this stage. If your outline stage application is shortlisted, you will have the opportunity to provide this detail in your full stage application.
KEY DATES
Webinar for potential applicants: 10 June 2026
Deadline: 16 September 2026
Successful projects start: 1 November 2027
Full details can be found on the opportunity webpage and in the guidance document below.