The AHRC and BBC Radio 3 have launched their New Generation Thinkers scheme for 2019–20. The scheme offers an opportunity for early career academics (PhD students who have made 'considerable progress' or ECRs up to 8 years post-PhD or within 6 years of first academic appointment) to gain experience of writing and broadcasting for a wider audience. You can read more about the scheme and eligibility here: https://ahrc.ukri.org/funding/apply-for-funding/current-opportunities/new-generation-thinkers-2020/

The AHRC welcomes applications from those whose research has ‘a primary focus in the arts and humanities. Your research could be bringing together arts and humanities research with other non-AHRC funded disciplines, provided you can demonstrate suitable links to the world of arts and humanities and that arts and humanities remains a primary focus.’ See here for clarification of the AHRC's funding remit: https://ahrc.ukri.org/funding/research/subjectcoverage/ahrc-disciplines/

The Joint Faculties Office is offering a briefing session for anyone at UCL considering applying for the scheme this year. It will run from 12-2pm on Monday 16 September, in the Common Ground, Institute of Advanced Studies (Room G11, Ground Floor, South Wing of Wilkins Building). Lunch will be provided.

The session will include the opportunity to hear from Jeff Howard (current New Generation Thinker, UCL) and Daisy Fancourt (New Generation Thinker 2017, UCL) about their experiences, and from Natalie Steed, a freelance radio producer who has worked with the BBC producing programmes, including Free Thinking, and with New Generation Thinkers. Luis Rego, Research Development Manager for the Joint Faculties will also provide an overview of the initial application process. The second half of the session will be a workshop for you to pitch your own ideas for possible radio programmes.

Please come to the session prepared to give a two-minute presentation. Imagine you are pitching to a BBC Radio 3 commissioner and you've got two minutes to persuade them to make a 45-minute programme about your research. What do you say? This activity is designed to help you prepare for the NGT application and is based on instructions from their guidance notes (copied below).

If you have any queries, please contact Clare Stainthorp (c.stainthorp@ucl.ac.uk).

This event is kindly hosted by the Institute of Advanced Studies.

Programme:

12:00 Introduction. Helen Stark, Research Impact Manager, Joint Faculties

12:10 How to make an application. Luis Rego, Research Development Manager, Joint Faculties

12:15 Natalie Steed. What BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking is looking for, how the scheme has worked in practice and top tips about media appearances.

12:30 Jeffrey Howard. Current New Generation Thinker, UCL

12:40 Daisy Fancourt, New Generation Thinker 2017, UCL

12:50 Questions

13:00-14:00 Workshopping pitches with Natalie Steed, Jeffrey Howard, and Emma Butcher (New Generation Thinker 2017)

Photo credit: BBC

From AHRC Scheme Guidance Notes:

Application Deadline: Tuesday 8 October 2019

Summary: Focusing on one aspect of your research, please provide a brief pitch on how this could make an engaging and stimulating programme for Radio 3 of up to 45 minutes, ensuring that you make it clear what format this programme would take. Please bear in mind this would be for a non-academic audience. You can listen to examples of Radio 3 speech programmes and the work of previous New Generation Thinkers using BBC iPlayer. Please note there is a limit of 2,000 characters.

The only permitted attachment is a ‘Case for Support’. It is extremely important that this includes the information described below, using the following headings. Your application will be immediately disqualified if you exceed the word limits below by any amount.

Eligibility (100 words limit): Briefly describe how you meet the eligibility criteria described in section 5 of this guidance.

Current research activity (250 words limit): Briefly describe your research and its broader relevance to a non-academic audience.

Research history (250 words limit): Please give a brief research history, listing the academic institutions at which you have been based, the research you have undertaken, and the years in which these activities took place.

Review (250 words limit): Review a new film, play, novel, book of poetry, exhibition or any other cultural event of which you have personal and recent experience. This should be of interest to and written for a non-academic audience, and must be on a topic and discipline separate from your research. Write the review as if you were going to read it on air as a short essay for BBC Radio 3 – you can listen to examples online. Remember that Free Thinking makes a link between arts and ideas, so your review will need to explore ideas within or prompted by the work and not simply discuss its apparent quality.

AHRC BBC New Generation Thinkers Scheme Briefing Session & Workshop