V&A-Led Cohort Model Proves Key to AHRC Early Career Researcher Fellowship Success
The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) initiated a pilot Early Career Researcher (ECR) Fellowship program, which provided support to 8 researchers from 7 Independent Research Organisations, with the V&A serving as the Cohort Coordination team. An assessment conducted by Santra Consulting revealed that the cohort model was advantageous for the fellows, institutions, and the GLAM and Heritage sector. The initiative featured online coffee mornings and in-person gatherings to enhance networking. Over the course of the program, fellows participated in 95 public events attracting more than 6,200 attendees, organized 4 exhibitions with 88,000 visitors, produced 12 digital outputs viewed over 126,000 times, updated 2,900 database entries, published 19 papers, and created 3 sector toolkits. Challenges faced included high workload and career uncertainty. The V&A is currently improving the second round and collaborating with the School of Advanced Study, University of London.
Key facts
- The AHRC Early Career Researcher Fellowship pilot supported 8 researchers across 7 Independent Research Organisations.
- The V&A served as the Cohort Coordination and Development team for the programme.
- Santra Consulting conducted the pilot evaluation, which showed the cohort model delivered meaningful benefits.
- The programme included fortnightly online coffee mornings and twice-yearly in-person fellowship events.
- Fellows produced 95 public engagement events (6,200+ attendees), 4 exhibitions (88,000 visitors), 12 digital outputs (126,000+ views), 2,900+ database updates, 19 published papers (15 more in preparation), 40+ new collaborations, 3 sector toolkits, and 10 training resources.
- Host institutions noted that fellows helped reassess collections, especially around colonial histories and marginalised communities.
- Challenges included workload intensity, onboarding inconsistencies, and post-fellowship career uncertainty.
- The V&A announced a new partnership with the School of Advanced Study (SAS), University of London, for the second round of the fellowship programme.
Entities
Artists
- Ashish Ghadiali
- Katherine Natanel
- Thupten Kelsang
- Nick Barnard
- Aparajita Mukhopadhay
Institutions
- V&A
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
- Santra Consulting
- School of Advanced Study (SAS), University of London
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
- V&A East Storehouse
- V&A South Kensington
Locations
- UK
- London
- South Kensington
- Kew