London, August 2025- PPP is revisiting and resharing this article co-written by our executive director, Rosie Hunter, during a two-day AHRC workshop and published by the University of Exeter.
Introduction: Few research projects are straightforward or reflect precisely the plans set out in funding applications. Research is dynamic: things change, situations shift and opportunities arise or disappear. Developing and managing research projects has the potential to be deeply challenging, both professionally and personally. But they can equally bring great personal joy and social value from the creation of new partnerships and knowledge, and from the positive transformations that research can engender.
This document sets out to fill the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF ) advice vacuum and level the field in terms of access to best practice knowledge. It has been created by AHRC/GCRF-funded researchers from a variety of different UK and international institutions, specifically for consumption by the Arts and Humanities research community. The content derives from a six-month period of consultation during which questionnaires were sent to the leads of AHRC/GCRF-funded projects and a series of follow-up meetings were held, attended by academics and non-academics from a range of disciplines and backgrounds. A two-day workshop provided a space for setting out some initial shared goals for the AHRC community in the broad context of development, as well as yielding insights into specific issues that included identity politics, heritage, gender and climate change.