Supporting arts and humanities research with AHRC funding

The University of South Wales is one of 50 Higher Education Institutions to receive a new Doctoral Landscape Award from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

The awards, which are part of a new approach to funding doctoral study, aim to underpin the strength and stability of the arts and humanities research ecosystem.

In the context of rising costs to support doctoral study, the AHRC have committed to providing stable investment that ensures the sector continues to enable outstanding students to engage with the highest quality of collaborative, cohort-based and interdisciplinary research training for arts and humanities.

By deploying flexible funding to allow for HEIs to adopt approaches that are shaped to fit their needs and strategies, the AHRC’s expectation is that studentships will encompass a breadth of knowledge, creating new opportunities for innovation in research career development, and routes to impact, providing a baseline of funding which underpins the UK’s overall doctoral capability and capacity needs for the arts and humanities disciplines.

Professor Martin Steggall, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research at USW, said: “We are delighted that the new AHRC Doctoral Landscape Awards will provide funding for doctoral studentships at USW. This award aligns with our commitment to producing vibrant, impactful research that makes a positive difference to people’s lives.”

Professor Christopher Smith, Executive Chair of the AHRC, added: “The AHRC doctoral landscape awards provide flexible funding to allow universities to build on existing excellence in research and opportunities for innovation across the arts and humanities. They will support the development of talented people and, alongside our other doctoral schemes, contribute to a diverse, internationally attractive research and innovation system.”

The funding provided through the new scheme will support 15 studentships – three per year, for four cohorts – across each of the 50 HEIs receiving an award. The funding is based on a four-year studentship duration.

USW will welcome its first cohort of AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award students in October 2026.