Project funding opportunities

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Impact Accelerator Account funding

Apply for the Heritage Co-Production Award

Heritage organisations, community groups, local authorities and other organisations are eligible to apply for this grant up to £10,000 to collaborate with a UH academic on a project to increase the impact of the academic's research.

Previous outputs have included films, exhibitions, community workshops, reports and interpretation panels. The organisation's costs can be factored into an application.

Read about our current and past projects here: project showcase | Heritage Hub

Our next deadline is 20th April 2026,  followed by 6th July 2026.

Contact uh.heritage@herts.ac.uk if you're interested in applying, need some help with the application form, or seek to find an academic researcher to help with your community heritage project.

Other funding

The next quarterly application deadline for our rolling Impact Funding calls will be 20th April 2026. Herts researchers of all academic disciplines are welcome to apply to our Open Impact Award, while additional specialist awards through our two Impact Acceleration Accounts are open to academics in arts, humanities and social sciences.

Members of  staff at UH can see more information on HertsHub for full information, and external partners are welcome to contact us to find out more.

The University of Hertfordshire has been awarded over £1.7m from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to accelerate the impact of the University’s world-leading research.

Collectively known as Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAAs), the block funding by UKRI to the University of Hertfordshire is made available via two research councils, the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), respectively.

These awards reflect the University of Hertfordshire’s strategic commitment to research, our successful REF2021 result, and the impact being delivered by researchers in our Research Centres.

The two UH-based IAAs will make it possible for the University of Hertfordshire to deploy funding in ways best suited to our institutional strategies and impact objectives.

The schemes are open to all academic staff working in the arts and humanities. For more details on the schemes available, go to: https://www.herts.ac.uk/research/impact-our-research/impact-acceleration-accounts

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As part of the scheme, the Heritage Hub offers the Co-Production Heritage Award: working with non-HEI external partners and the  Heritage Hub to co-produce research: through cultural strategy, governance, and delivery.
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Read more about our current funded projects:  Project Showcase

HARMONISED Calls

New and Emerging Impact Award (Maximum value £5,000)
Open Impact Award (Maximum value £10,000)


SPECIALISED Calls

  • Interdisciplinary Arts and Science Impact Awards (Maximum value £10,000)
  • Commercialising SocSci Awards (Maximum value £5,000)
  • Co-Production Heritage Awards (Maximum value £10,000)
  • Policy Connect Awards (Maximum value £5,000)
  • Knowledge Exchange Placements (Maximum value £15,000)
  • Interdisciplinary SHAPE Impact Awards (Maximum value £10,000)
  • Co-Production for Health and Wellbeing Awards (Maximum value £15,000)
  • Knowledge Exchange Leaders Awards (Maximum value £20,000)

For more details on how to apply, go to https://www.herts.ac.uk/research/impact-our-research/impact-acceleration-accounts

For definitions of Research Council remits of research,

https://www.ukri.org/publications/ahrcresearch-funding-guide/
https://www.ukri.org/councils/esrc/remitportfolio- and-priorities/

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https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/

External grants and support for applications

Collaborate with the Heritage Hub and share in the creation of resources and research.

The University of Hertfordshire already benefits enormously from relationships with community organisations in Hertfordshire and beyond.

We are offering support to groups interested in applying to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Whether your group is new to funding applications, or experienced with them, we can help you shape your ideas and guide you through the application process.

Previous activities have included workshops on the sources available to local historians, oral history interviewing using the expertise and training from the UH Oral History Team, and using digital tools such as mapping to take research to wider audiences.

If you are interested in these ideas or have one of your own that you would like us to consider, then contact us at uh.heritage@herts.ac.uk