Enhancing research and teaching capacity through collaboration: Building a UK-Ireland Digital Humanities Association

In February 2020, the Irish Research Council (IRC) and the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) issued a call for network proposals as part of its ‘UK-Ireland Collaboration in Digital Humanities’ programme. The universities of Exeter, Galway, Glasgow and London, University College Cork, King’s College London and Trinity College Dublin partnered to develop one such proposal, for a network which would undertake research and consultation vital to the implementation of a permanent Digital Humanities Association for the UK and Ireland. Building on existing research conducted by the partner institutions, and on established partnerships and collaborations, it brought together different stakeholders to consider and interrogate critically the concepts of sustainability, inclusivity, training, advocacy and career progression, among other key questions. Institutions and individuals across the UK and Ireland were consulted to propose ways in which the two countries could build a collaborative vision for the field, and create new and sustainable long-term partnerships in alignment with the international community. The overarching goal of the network was to develop a framework for a new Association which would nurture the capacity for excellent research and teaching in DH, establish and sustain more effective connections with sectors outside higher education (notably Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAMs) and the creative industries) and create new pathways for collaboration. The network culminated in the publication of a three-year roadmap for the establishment and consolidation of a UK-Ireland Digital Humanities Association, which will be shaped in ongoing dialogue with digital researchers and practitioners located across the two countries, in industry, education and the cultural heritage sectors.

This panel will explore the processes of establishing an evidence base for the development of a new DH Association, of building - and building on - community through consultation, of defining value and purpose through collaboration, and of practising openness which is both radical and responsible. Presentations will discuss: the landscape of DH in the UK and Ireland; the development of a values-led organisation; community, consultation and inclusivity; the importance of advocacy for DH and the role of a DH Association in national policy-making; and the centrality of training and the development of career pathways in and from DH. A concluding presentation will reflect on the value of international collaboration, both between Ireland and the UK and among international subject associations and infrastructures.