Professor Smith presented the AHRC’s strategic delivery plan before taking questions from the Faculty’s research community, chaired by Professor Stella Bruzzi, Dean of UCL Arts & Humanities. In the context of UKRI now having a clear strategy and the AHRC’s first ever three-year funding settlement, Professor Smith emphasised the opportunity for the AHRC to be more strategic in terms of its longer-term planning of funding. He noted that, with clearer priorities, the AHRC will be better able to fund co-produced research.
Professor Smith stressed that “the arts and humanities are absolutely rooted in and contribute to addressing contemporary challenges”, the recent publication of Lockdown Cultures being one example. The AHRC are committed to responding to the needs and desires of the arts and humanities research community through working closely with independent research organisations as well as larger institutions, creating a rich ecosystem across different sectors and the creative economy.
The AHRC is especially focussed on supporting skills development, policy-driven work, and equity, diversity and inclusion in arts and humanities research.
Christopher Smith is Executive Chair of the AHRC, funding world-class, independent research in the arts and humanities and a constituent council of UKRI.