Research Strategy

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Canterbury Christ Church University has achieved notable success in the 2014 National Research Excellence Framework. Over 90% of our submitted research was rated as world leading (4*), internationally excellent (3*) or internationally recognised (2*).

Disciplines throughout the Faculty produced top ranking (4*) research and 15% of the submitted research in Music, Drama, Dance and Performing Arts was classed as world leading.  The Faculty is committed to supporting excellent research with a wide public impact, and made submissions to the following areas of assessment: 

• English Language and Literature
• History
• Theology and Religious Studies
• Music, Drama, Dance and Performing Arts
• Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, Library and Information Management

The Faculty's broad strategy is to encourage as many staff as possible to be research active and for students to benefit from the fruits of research in their courses and programmes.

More specifically, the Faculty aims to:

• Develop a strong research culture across academic areas;
• Promote the development of inter-disciplinary research across the Faculty;
• Enhance and resource the production of peer-reviewed research;
• Increase the number and quality of the Faculty's international links and, where appropriate, international funding;
• Develop a system of mentoring, seminars and institutional support by which inexperienced academic staff are resourced to develop their research profiles and productivity;
• Establish a progressive and wide-ranging research culture in which diversity and inter-disciplinary work complement more traditional approaches to scholarship and publications.

More specifically, the Faculty's strategy for the period 2011- 2015 is as follows:

Faculty of Arts and Humanities Strategic Plan 2011-15

Research Section*

The Faculty will aim to:

1. generate and support internationally recognised research in each School or Centre, through the strategic use of QR funding and flexible workload planning
2. achieve improved results in REF2014 for each Unit of Assessment - something we achieved in December 2014.
3. increase the number of research students, and build capacity in research and research degree supervision through recruitment of new staff, support for early career researchers, and the provision of research training
4. ensure that all contracted academic staff engage in research and/or knowledge exchange, and that the learning and teaching of all students within the faculty is informed by current research and professional experience
5. further enhance the research environment for staff and students through expanded provision of research seminars and research conferences at School, Centre and Faculty levels
6. support the work of its Research Centres and the development of new Research Centres where they meet the University’s revised criteria
7. expand the range and reach of its Knowledge Exchange activities, developing partnerships and links (including KTPs) with private, public and third sector organisations
8. increase each School or Centre’s generation of external research, consultancy and knowledge exchange income

Schools, Centres and the Faculty as a whole are responsible for the realisation of these aims and practices, and the Faculty Executive (the heads of the Faculty's constituent Schools and Centres) together with the Dean of Faculty meet regularly to discuss the implementation and operation of this Research Strategy.

At all stages the guiding principle will be to provide every opportunity for all academic staff to engage in the kind of critical, principled, scholarly and public research that lies at the heart of the Faculty's Research Policy.

* Research is here defined as including both theoretical and practical research