Dundee shares in new arts research funding
Published On Wed 3 Jun 2015 by Grant Hill
Three University of Dundee projects, looking at whaling, rural planning and 18th century reading habits, will share in a new £380,000 round of arts research funding.
The funding comes from Applied Research Collaboration Studentships (ARCS), supported by the Scottish Funding Council and universities themselves. Seven projects across Scotland have been granted £54,000 each under the ARCS initiative.
The funding covers two joint projects with the University of Stirling. The first will examine library records dating back to 1747 to gauge how reading habits and book borrowing could affect people’s social and geographic mobility. The other investigates the success or otherwise of new planned settlements in rural Scotland from the mid-18th to early-20th centuries.
Another collaboration, this time with the University of St Andrews, will lead work on how whaling in Dundee has contributed to the history of maritime science.
Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Angela Constance said, “The Scottish Government will again be providing more than a billion pounds in funding in 2015/16, having invested more than £4 billion in Higher Education since 2011. Scotland is a leading nation in Higher Education, with four universities in the world’s top 200 – more per head of population than any other country, except Switzerland.
“We are committed to enabling our universities to grow, securing their place as world renowned centres of excellence in teaching and research and Scotland’s arts, culture and heritage are recognised globally and make a significant contribution to our economy.
“Any initiative which improves their standing still further is to be welcomed. I am very pleased that these research projects are benefiting from the funding to further enhance the work of our creative industries.”
Laurence Howells, Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council, said, “It’s vital that we invest in developing the best research talent in our universities. The students benefitting from this £380,000 investment will be the people leading innovation and discovery in the future. They will be helping to create prosperity and jobs in the creative industries as well as enhancing our enjoyment of history, art, film and new media.”
Notes to editors:
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) is investing around £1.5billion of public money into further and higher education each year. SFC provides the funding that allows Scottish colleges and universities to provide opportunities for over half a million learners. Its support for university research means that every university in Scotland is carrying out world-leading research.
Applied Research Collaboration Studentships (ARCS) are supported by the SFC, which is meeting 50 per cent of the costs of each three-year studentship. The remaining 50 per cent of costs will be met by universities.
The projects featuring the University of Dundee are:
Books and Borrowers, 1747 – 1857: Innepeffray Library and the History of Scottish Reading (Innerpeffray Library, University of Stirling, University of Dundee)
Improving the Nation: investigating the principles of improvement in the new planned settlements of rural Scotland, c. 1750 – c. 1905 (Inverary Castle and Argyll Estates, University of Dundee, University of Stirling)
Hunting Whales and Making Knowledge: Dundee’s Globalisation through Trans-Maritime Whaling, 1750 – 1914 (Dundee Heritage Trust, University of St Andrews, University of Dundee)
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