Impact Acceleration Account (IAA): Improve and accelerate the impact of the University of Hertfordshire's research

The overarching aim of our AHRC IAA is to achieve a transformational step change in the swift translation of our AHRC-remit research into impact by unlocking major areas of untapped potential, and extending and deepening our work in focused areas of strength. We intend to develop an infrastructure capable of delivering this transformation through a diverse set of flexible funding initiatives open to researchers and external partners.

The IAA will leverage existing links with a wide range of partners – cultural organisations, NHS Trusts, disadvantaged communities, museums, NGOs – and enable us to establish significant new strategic partnerships. We will place emphasis on the co-production of research impact, developing models of best practice and sharing these with the sector. We intend to deepen international collaborations through our role as lead academic partner in the International Garden City Institute and extend the influence of our research and knowledge exchange networks through capacity building initiatives supported by UH Arts + Culture, the Heritage Hub and the Hertfordshire Cultural Education Partnership. Our commitment to enhancing links between Arts and Humanities and other disciplines is demonstrated through our proposed interdisciplinary Arts and Science impact funding stream, which will be run in alignment with a complementary scheme under our STFC IAA. The objectives of this initiative directly support two of AHRC’s priority research themes: Arts and Science, Arts in Science and Interdiscplinarity for Contemporary Challenges (especially in the context of climate change).