How Research is Commissioned
The Programme has three phases of commissioning: in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Each year a ‘call’ goes out to academic researchers to bid for the funding which is available. This information can be found on the AHRC Website
You normally have to be an academic member of staff at a UK HEI (higher education institution) in order to apply, detailed criteria on who is eligible to apply can be found on the AHRC website. This is because the research councils are distributing money which comes from the UK government – and ultimately the UK tax payer – to fund research within the UK higher education system. (Although collaborations with non-UK academics are encouraged.) You should be actively engaged in research and be of postdoctoral standing. We regret that there is no funding available for postgraduate study within this programme, with the exception of PhD studentships attached to Large Grant applications.
Teams of researchers respond to the ‘calls’ by submitting funding proposals. These proposals are on a standard electronic form. They outline a proposed project of research, its methods, and personnel. They include a budget and an account of how the research will be managed, why it is important, and what benefits it will provide.
The proposals are sent directly (electronically, using the Je-S system) to the AHRC personnel who deal with the Religion and Society Programme. They are then sent out for review by peer reviewers (other academics working in the field). They are also reviewed by the Commissioning Panel.
Depending on the grades received by peer reviewers, proposals either go forward to the Commissioning Panel or do not go forward if they do not pass the quality threshold. All the remaining proposals are considered by members of the Religion and Society Commissioning Panel. The Commissioning Panel determines a final grade for each proposal, and ranks them in order of priority for funding. The Programme objectives are relevant to this discussion, though commissioning is always on the basis of academic merit. Finally, the highest scoring proposals are selected. The Programme Director comments on the shape and range of the oveerall selection (e.g. to see how many disciplines are represented). The final number commissioned depends on how many proposals can be funded with the money available in each phase.
This process normally takes place for all four kinds of awards, and there will be several meetings of the Commissioning Panel accordingly.