This is a fictitious funding call for the Writing a Narrative CV workshop. Use the guidelines below to draft your team narrative CV. What examples could you include in each module that reflect the priorities of this funding body?

For more guidance, see:

The Collaborative Arts Research Initiative

Funder: Arts & Humanities Research Futures (AHRF)

Award amount: £150,000 - £250,000

Duration: 24-36 months

Eligibility: Research teams of 3-6 members working in arts, humanities, or creative practice-based fields at UK institutions. Teams must include researchers at different career stages.

Purpose

The Collaborative Arts Research Initiative supports ambitious team projects that combine complementary expertise to address complex cultural, social, or creative challenges through collaborative research. We particularly welcome projects that:

  • Bring together researchers with diverse disciplinary perspectives and methodological approaches.
  • Include researchers at different career stages, creating opportunities for mentorship and leadership development.
  • Co-create knowledge with communities who have been under-represented in research.
  • Develop innovative collaborative methodologies for arts and humanities research.
  • Build sustainable research partnerships beyond the funding period.
  • Produce outputs accessible to both academic and non-academic audiences.

What we’re looking for in your team

We seek research teams who can demonstrate:

  • Complementary expertise: Clear articulation of what each team member uniquely contributes and why this combination is essential for the project.
  • Inclusive collaboration: Evidence of supporting diverse perspectives and career stages within the team structure.
  • Community partnerships: Authentic engagement with communities as research partners, not just participants.
  • Methodological innovation: Creative collaborative approaches to research questions.
  • Sustainable impact: Plans for maintaining partnerships and continuing research beyond the funding period.
  • Leadership development: Opportunities for early career researchers to develop leadership skills.

Priority areas (2025-2026)

We are particularly interested in projects addressing:

  • Digital exclusion and technology access in cultural participation.
  • Climate justice and environmental sustainability through creative practice.
  • Health inequalities and wellbeing through arts-based interventions.
  • Cultural heritage and community memory in diverse communities.
  • Social cohesion through collaborative creative practice.

Application requirements

Applications must include:

  • Project proposal (maximum 3,000 words)
  • Team narrative CV (maximum 2,000 words covering the four R4RI modules for the team as a whole)
  • Individual CVs for all team members (maximum 2 pages each, traditional format)
  • Letters of support from community partners
  • Clear explanation of team roles and governance structure
  • Budget and timeline

Assessment criteria

Your team narrative CV will be assessed on:

  • Collective expertise relevant to the proposed project.
  • Complementary skills and perspectives across the team.
  • Track record of inclusive and collaborative research practice.
  • Evidence of community engagement and co-creation across team members.
  • Commitment to supporting researchers at different career stages.
  • Ability to communicate across academic, community, and public contexts.

Notes on the team narrative CV 📝

The team narrative CV should:

  • Demonstrate the collective strengths of the team, not simply list individual achievements.
  • Show how team members’ contributions complement each other and create capabilities greater than the sum of parts.
  • Include examples from across the team that demonstrate the breadth of relevant experience.
  • Clearly attribute contributions (e.g., “Team member X led…”, “In collaboration with…”).
  • Emphasise examples most relevant to this specific project, rather than trying to represent all team members equally.