Attendance and engagement at UK sporting, cultural and heritage sites (Grant)

Apply for funding to research the development of novel data-intensive approaches for capturing engagement data from unticketed cultural, heritage, and sporting events, activities and locations, demonstrated through a deployable tool in at least one DCMS sector. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for AHRC funding. Total funding: £1.32 million Minimum award: £1.1 million Maximum award: £1.32 million Location: National Who can apply: Public Sector, Non-profit, Private Sector Closing date: 2026-12-01 16:00 (UK time) Eligibility This is a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding opportunity led by the AHRC in partnership with the DCMS. It is open to the research and innovation communities of all UKRI research councils and Innovate UK. This opportunity is open to organisations with standard eligibility. Check if your organisation is eligible. Who is eligible to apply We are interested in funding teams that are based in, and have research links with, a range of locations across the UK that include researchers at different career stages, and that bring together a range of expertise. The team must be supported by dedicated administrative resource, recruited specifically for this project. Employment The project lead and any project co-leads must be employed and supported by an eligible organisation for at least the duration of the UKRI support, it is not a requirement that a contract be in place at the point of application submission. It is also not a requirement to have a permanent employment contract to apply for funding. Skills and qualifications You must have the appropriate skills to lead the project in line with UKRI’s terms and conditions. There are no specific qualification requirements and you do not necessarily need a qualification such as a PhD. During your project, you must be primarily based and permitted to work in the UK. You do not need to hold an academic research or teaching post to apply. Applications are welcomed from those working, for example, as practitioners or evaluation experts. Project co-leads Project co-leads are permitted and encouraged for interdisciplinary applications o Summary Apply for funding to research the development of novel data-intensive approaches for capturing engagement data from unticketed cultural, heritage, and sporting events, activities and locations, demonstrated through a deployable tool in at least one Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) sector.You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for AHRC funding.The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £1.32 million. AHRC will fund 80% of the FEC.Projects will be funded up to a maximum of 34 months and must start on 1 May 2027 and must be completed by 31 March 2030. Objectives Demand management Demand management is not being applied to this funding opportunity. Aim The DCMS is interested in new methods to measure both event participation and attendance, to improve the understanding of engagement across its sectors (such as sports, culture and heritage, and tourism). We take attendance to be the number of people that attend a location, event or activity. We take participation to be what people do in that location/event/activity, including an understanding of their demo Dates Assessment process We will assess your application using the following process, noting that all elements of your application form will be shared with the assessors. Eligibility criteria We will invite experts to review your application independently, against the specified criteria for this funding opportunity. At the point of application submission, each will be assessed on the following criteria: - all applicants and named staff must be eligible under the funding opportunity requirements - the How to apply Click here to start an application on the UKRI Funding Service: https://funding-service.ukri.org/OPP1420/apply/1456 We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innova