Of what benefit and to whom? Linking Australian humanities research with its 'end users'

Abstract

There is increasing pressure for university researchers to secure ‘end-user’ support fortheir research projects. Yet the ways in which this imperative affects humanitiesresearchers, operating in a science-centric funding environment, have not yet beenfully explored. This paper presents the findings of an empirical study into the experiencesof humanities researchers in securing competitive national funding for researchinvolving collaborations with the private and public sector. It also provides quantitativedata as to the funding behaviour of one of Australia’s peak research funding bodies, theAustralian Research Council (ARC). The findings clearly show that humanitiesresearchers struggle to secure support for their research. There is also evidence tosuggest that, despite rhetorical support from the ARC that it values research whichprovides cultural benefit, it too particularly prioritises research that promises economicadvantages for both the project’s partners and wider community.