Dear Colleague,

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Strategic Resource Enhancement Programme

Following the evaluation of the Resource Enhancement scheme, the AHRC’s Research Committee has agreed that a strategic resource creation and enhancement programme should be developed. The AHRC has announced the decision to end its support for resource enhancement through the discrete responsive-mode scheme, but to continue to support the enhancement of research resources alongside a process of research within the Research Grants scheme, and to establish a scheme in strategic mode through a series of communication activities with the community. The Strategic Resource Enhancement Programme will seek to identify key resources which, should they be the subject of resource enhancement would not only be more widely used but would, to some degree, have a transformative effect on research undertaken in the Arts and Humanities.

In order to ensure that funding is targeted in the most effective way, the AHRC considers it crucial that it draws extensively on the knowledge and expertise of the arts and humanities research community and other stakeholders. We would very much value the input of your sector to this process, and the purpose of this letter is therefore to invite you to identify research resource(s) that you would consider valuable to a wide range of researchers. In doing so, you should consider the aims of the scheme and the assessment criteria as attached at Annex A below. We would welcome a two page document detailing the resource(s) you think should be prioritised for enhancement by the 4th August 2006. Submissions must be forwarded to Ben Gibbons, Programme Development Officer, AHRC, Lewins Mead, Whitefriars, Bristol BS1 2AE (b.gibbons@ahrc.ac.uk). In undertaking this consultation we are inviting respondents to identify resources they consider valuable to a wide range of researchers and not simply to submit proposals that they themselves would like to take forward. Please use the attached document (Annex B) below that sets out a number of headings to be used in preparing your submission:

The results of the consultation will be compiled and discussions will be held with other stakeholders regarding joint priority areas. The results of the consultation and the results from discussions with stakeholders will be considered by the AHRC’s Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) at its October 06 meeting. A small number of priorities will be identified which rank highly in relationship to the aims of the scheme. The nature of the resources identified will influence the type of the competition for funding.

If any of this is unclear, or is you would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact me or Ben Gibbons (Programme Development Officer).

Yours sincerely

Faye Auty

Senior Programme Manager

f.auty@ahrc.ac.uk

Annex A

The aims of the scheme are to support:

· research resources which allow new research areas and modes of research to be explored thus transforming the research landscape

· research resources which provide access for a significant population of users, including non-academic users

· research resources which are independently sustainable in the long-term

· resources that are also priorities for other national stakeholders thus allowing partnership funding

· resources that encourage knowledge transfer, for example through engagement with museums and galleries, and with the creative industries

· resources that encourage international collaboration

Assessment Criteria

· the extent to which the proposal meets the aims of the scheme

· the quality of the resources to be produced

· the extent of the likely use of the research resources, and the likelihood that they will stimulate further high-quality research

· the ability to bring the proposed activities to completion as demonstrated by the proposal and the track record of those involved

· the value of the resource, in relation to the amount of funding required

Annex B

Please use the following headings in preparing your submission:

· Resource: the resource which should be enhanced and why its enhancement should be viewed as a priority in terms of the research that would be supported

· Transformation: how wide scale access to the enhanced resource will enable new research areas and modes of research to be explored thus transforming the research landscape

· Size: evidence of the size of the community that would use the resource relative to academic population that the community is drawn from

· Access and impact: the impact access to the resource will have on the research of the target user group

· Sustainability: who will take responsibility for maintaining the resource and ensuring its longevity? Indications of the commitments from other parties

· Partnership: Indications of the key stakeholders, including any organisations that could provide joint funding

· Time and resources: The approximate period AHRC funding would be required and estimated costs.

NB. Information about factors such as cost, time and possibilities for partnership are sought for information, but will not necessarily used to prioritise at this stage. These factors will be considered in detail during the competition for funding.