University of Bristol AHRC Impact Acceleration Account

With the AHRC Impact Acceleration Account we aim to foster a culture that enables effective and ambitious knowledge exchange by developing skills and capabilities. We will aim to broaden the pool of researchers generating impact, test innovative ideas and advance research outputs along the impact pipeline. We will strengthen engagement with stakeholders through equitable and sustainable partnerships that support innovative and impactful outcomes. Our objectives are to build capacity and impact within the arts and humanities, generate commercial and societal impact from traditional arts and humanities research, create and scale-up sustainable partnerships, while embedding equality, diversity and inclusion, and responsible innovation in the foundations of our Impact Acceleration Account. We will do this through a series of open competitions offering a 'ladder of funding' from small Seed Funding of ideas to large Accelerator awards. This allows for early stage support; room for testing risky, innovative ideas and fast failure; and for supporting projects as they move through the impact pipeline. We will maintain a flexible approach to ensure that activities meet the needs of the different disciplines and partners. The ladder of funds provides the opportunity for researchers to gain experience developing and leading impact projects, putting them in a strong position to lead large interdisciplinary impact funding bids as opportunities arise. Open competitions will encourage applications from any subject within AHRC's remit, and we will support emerging opportunities through highlight notices. Seed Funding and peer-to-peer support will give researchers the confidence and opportunity to explore risky routes to impact, while continuous improvement will enable learning from failure. Alongside encouraging our researchers, we are also testing out two innovative approaches with awards aimed at developing impact at scale and long-term people exchanges.