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Context and scope

To support our leadership role for the archives sector in England and Wales, and to deliver Archives Unlocked, the Government’s vision for archives, The National Archives provides grants for skills, innovation and engagement in the archives sector.

Our approach to our leadership role is a collaborative one: supporting partnerships and working to encourage a sustainable and innovative sector.

We want to prepare the archives sector for the future, in an uncertain world. We will invest in the skills of the archives sector workforce; in research, to lead innovation in technology and archival practice; and in engagement, to connect archives with changing societies in places across England and Wales.

In particular, we want to provide funding that will confront the challenges of today: preserving and sharing the digital record, reducing our environmental impact and adapting to climate change, and helping the archives sector become more diverse, equitable and inclusive.

To create opportunities for research, innovation and transformative projects in the archive sector, The National Archives is launching a research and innovation grant programme, building on the success of our Archives Testbed grant programme (2019-2022).

Programme overview

Research and Innovation Grants will offer grants for organisations to conduct research, innovate and create transformative projects that will contribute to building a sustainable and innovative archives sector.

The programme will run on an academic year, annual basis, opening in 2023: a launch webinar will be held on Tuesday 19th September, register for the launch webinar.

Projects would need to be completed within a year following the award of funding.

We would like to encourage archives to formulate ideas based on their own skills and experience, with a focus on the three challenge areas of digital transformation, environmental sustainability and inclusive practice. The following may be ways to address these challenges, when thinking of topics for an application:

  • Archives may have identified a problem or research question in their practice, that they have an idea about how to solve
  • Archives may want to explore new technologies, devices or products, in their archives service
  • Archives may wish to connect with others, to increase their own capacity for research and innovation.

We encourage archives to be creative and imaginative in identifying an idea that they wish to develop. The idea could be simple or radical – but it should have the potential to bring about positive change in the archive organisation and beyond.

We anticipate that the Research and Innovation Grants may include cohort workshops, with other grantees, The National Archives and funders. The aim of these workshops will be to connect grantees with researchers at The National Archives, broker contact with research funders, and provide training in research and innovation skills. Further detail on these sessions will be available following the programme’s launch.