Research

Our Sadler Seminar Series has supported innovative interdisciplinary research projects across and beyond the arts and humanities. Since the first series in 2015, we have hosted a huge range of research projects, many of which have gone on to pioneer new ways of interdisciplinary working and secure major external funding.

The Sapling Fund, and Sapling Bradford are jointly delivered by the Cultural Institute and Leeds Arts and Humanities Research Institute. The Sapling fund is designed to support colleagues from across the University of Leeds in developing an interdisciplinary research or impact project rooted in the arts and humanities in collaboration with at least one non-HE partner in the cultural, arts or third sector, whilst Sapling Bradford focuses on developing projects leading to longer term community collaboration and partnerships in Bradford. The schemes are supported by the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF).

In conjunction with the Centre for African Studies we support collaborations between scholars based at institutions on the African continent and researchers at the University of Leeds. Each year, we host a cohort of Virtual Visiting Fellows working in a diverse range of disciplines.

Each year, in association with the British Academy, we invite one speaker to give their public lecture here at the University of Leeds.

Recent years have brought extraordinary and ongoing challenges to societies and cultures, as well as bringing long-standing crises and predicaments to the foreground in new ways. Through two series, these interdisciplinary discussions stimulate larger conversations about how research communities might respond to these challenges – and about the futures we want to imagine and realise.

Between April and July 2022 LAHRI conducted the project ‘Enhancing participatory research skills and partnerships’ with support from Research England. Focusing on the arts and humanities, this resulted in a report, published in August 2022, which includes an overview of participatory research projects and needs at Leeds.