Opportunity status:
Open
Funders:
,
Co-funders:
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
Funding type:
Grant
Total fund:
£1,055,000
Publication date:
31 July 2025
Opening date:
1 September 2025 9:00am UK time
Closing date:
30 October 2025 4:00pm UK time
Last updated: 3 September 2025 -
AHRC and SSHRC invite expressions of interest to attend a humanities-led, interdisciplinary research sandpit putting humanities insights and methodologies at the heart of artificial intelligence (AI) tech design.
We are looking for 60 participants from UK, Canadian and US research organisations to take part in in-person and virtual workshops.
During the sandpit process, teams will form, develop and refine project ideas through a facilitated process guided by the sandpit Director and Mentors.
We plan to fund up to four grants. £625,000 is available for UK-based team members, of which AHRC will pay 80%. CAD $800,000 is available for Canada-based team members. US-based team members may be part of funded UK or Canada teams, under certain conditions.
Travel and subsistence costs for the in-person workshop will be covered by AHRC and SSHRC.
Who can apply
This funding opportunity is open to researchers based in the UK, Canada and the US.
As this is an interdisciplinary opportunity, we welcome researchers from outside the humanities to apply.
As projects will require development of AI-related tools, we particularly encourage individuals with relevant technical expertise to apply.
We encourage applications from a range of disciplines, and career stages including established faculty as well as those in post-doctoral positions. We are unable to accept applications from current PhD students.
As successful applicants will be able to bid for grant funding through the sandpit mechanism, you must be eligible to receive funding from either UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) or SSHRC.
Eligibility criteria
UK-based applicants
.
Canadian-based applicants
All Canadian applicants and grant holders must be affiliated with a Canadian postsecondary institution that holds at SSHRC.
They must also comply with the, the regulations set out in the, and the.
US-based applicants
To act as co-leads on projects funded via the sandpit, you must be based at a US university or research institution.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive research community.
We particularly encourage applications from researchers from underrepresented backgrounds, institutions, or regions, and those exploring alternative epistemologies or knowledge systems often excluded from AI design.
What we're looking for
About the sandpit
We invite applications from individual researchers from the UK, Canada and US to take part in a collaborative, interdisciplinary funding sandpit.
A sandpit is a facilitated workshop process through which new project teams and research propositions will be co-developed and funded.
Participants apply to attend the sandpit as individuals, and project proposals are generated during the workshops, not in advance.
This sandpit is jointly delivered by the UK’s AHRC through the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF), and SSHRC in partnership with the Alan Turing Institute and The University of Edinburgh.
The sandpit is directed by Professor Drew Hemment, lead of the Doing AI Differently initiative, based at The Alan Turing Institute and The University of Edinburgh.
Sandpit process
There are two elements to the sandpit process:
* an expressions of interest stage where sandpit attendees will be decided
* the sandpit itself where attendees will form teams, develop project ideas and submit an application for research funding
The expressions of interest stage includes:
* submission of a short questionnaire
* review of questionnaire responses and sending of invitations to successful applicants
The sandpit process will include:
* a three-day in-person residential workshop in Canada in February 2026
* a virtual workshop in April 2026
* director and mentor-facilitated application development, peer review and cohort support
* support for up to four projects, which must begin on 1 October 2026
We are looking for attendees without preconceived project ideas or teams.
will be the primary reference document for this sandpit.
It sets out the research vision, theoretical foundations and strategic context.
We strongly encourage you to read it before submitting an expression of interest.
What is the thematic focus of the sandpit?
We are at a pivotal moment in AI design.
Contemporary AI systems increasingly produce cultural outputs, such as text, images and multimedia that resemble human cultural artifacts in unprecedented ways.
This represents AI’s ‘qualitative turn’: a fundamental shift toward systems whose inputs and outputs are deeply embedded in human cultural contexts.
This transformation creates an urgent need for humanities and arts perspectives to shape AI’s foundational design, training, and evaluation, not merely analyse its outputs.
The interpretive technologies theme addresses this need by supporting research that integrates humanistic methodologies directly into AI system design.
What are interpretive technologies?
Interpretive technologies refer to AI systems designed to engage with ambiguity, context-dependence, and plurality as core capabilities.
Rather than producing monolithic outputs, these systems can respond more appropriately to:
* diverse cultural contexts
* maintain sensitivity to meaning
* handle the semantic depth that characterises human interpretation
This work explores how humanistic insight can inform systems that do not attempt to imitate human judgement but can respond contextually to the complexity of human and more-than-human experience while remaining computationally tractable.
We seek research that demonstrates mutual enrichment between technical and humanistic methods, where technical innovation both draws from and challenges interpretive frameworks.
Research we’re looking for
We invite novel, transdisciplinary research that advances knowledge in both humanities and arts and technical domains while contributing to shared research infrastructure.
Projects funded through the sandpit should demonstrate clear potential to:
* develop functioning prototypes that show measurable improvements in AI systems’ interpretive capabilities
* create new evaluation frameworks and benchmarks that assess cultural sensitivity, contextual awareness and perspectival reasoning
* integrate humanities or arts methodologies into technical design pipelines, showing direct influence on system design
* contribute to an open ecosystem of tools, methods and resources for interpretive AI
In scope
In scope examples include:
* novel training strategies or evaluation methods that enable AI systems to represent and process multiple cultural perspectives, including metrics that capture semantic depth and nuance
* contextual embedding approaches that allow systems to respond appropriately to specific historical, cultural or social contexts
* frameworks for expressing ambiguity, uncertainty, and plurality, including through interactive or multimodal outputs
* integration of hermeneutic, aesthetic, or narrative methodologies into system training or inference
* collaborative co-creation frameworks that use storytelling, speculative design, or artistic practices to shape how AI systems are developed and evaluated, enabling systems to reflect diverse human imaginaries rather than replicate them
* applied explorations in domains like sustainability or healthcare, where interpretive capabilities may enable context-aware, culturally responsive systems
Out of scope
Out of scope examples include:
* post-hoc ethical analysis of AI systems without influencing their fundamental design or training
* research that treats arts and humanities perspectives as supplementary or advisory, rather than central to the AI design process
* use of AI as a tool for humanities research without reciprocal influence on AI system capabilities
* approaches that do not demonstrate potential for substantive collaboration between humanities scholars and technical AI researchers
Collaborative requirements
All research must involve meaningful collaboration between humanities or arts scholars and technical AI researchers.
We particularly welcome researchers whose work opens new transdisciplinary territory beyond established fields, and approaches that engage with communities whose knowledge systems or lived experiences are often excluded from AI design.
All projects developed and funded via the sandpit must have at least one Canada-based and one UK-based lead.
Applications without both a UK and Canada lead will be rejected.
US researchers are eligible to be funded via the sandpit as project co-leads.
Expected outcomes
While we do not expect to fundamentally redesign AI systems in a single project, or group of projects, these initiatives will help lay the groundwork for longer-term innovation.
Funded research will produce:
* working demonstrations of interpretive AI capabilities with measurable improvements
* shared evaluation frameworks and benchmarks for assessing interpretive depth
* open-source tools and methodologies that contribute to an emerging research infrastructure
* documentation of transdisciplinary approaches that advance both technical and interpretive knowledge
* contribution to the global research community established through the Doing AI Differently initiative
The workshops themselves are expected to be a valuable and generative experience, with the potential to significantly advance thinking and collaboration in this emerging area.
Participants will be supported throughout by a team of expert mentors, who will work closely alongside Programme Director Drew Hemment to guide and shape the journey.
Up to four projects may be supported.
Staff costs for Canadian team members are not included in the grant amount as salary costs are covered elsewhere., SSHRC grant funds must not be used to pay compensation to applicant team members.
How to apply
You must as an individual to be considered for participation in the Sandpit.
You should not apply with a pre-formed project or team. Participants will co-develop projects through the sandpit process, supported by expert mentors and feedback from other sandpit participants. The assessment of applications developed during the sandpit will take place shortly after the end of the sandpit and will require the submission of proposals to AHRC.
Your submission will ask for:
* a brief summary of your disciplinary background and research focus
* an explanation of how your work aligns with the aims of the Sandpit and the Doing AI Differently initiative
* your interest in collaborative, transdisciplinary research
* any access or support requirements
We are seeking a cohort of researchers from a range of disciplines, sectors, career stages, and institutions. You may be from an academic, independent, or practice-based background.
We welcome applications from both early-career and experienced researchers. In the case of more established applicants, we actively encourage proposals that align with, extend, or leverage the resources of existing research programmes or labs.
Participants at the sandpit will be assessed as individuals not as members of a group. However, projects emerging from the sandpit are free to develop relationships with existing collaborations or labs if that can further the objectives of the project.
You must be available to participate fully in:
* a three-day residential workshop in Canada between 17 and 19 February 2026
* a virtual workshop in April 2026
Further guidance on eligibility and participation requirements is provided in the ‘Who can apply’ section.
Expressions of interest will be assessed by the Sandpit Director and Sandpit Mentors alongside AHRC and SSHRC.
Information for Canada-based applicants
EOI Canadian applicants must submit their application directly to AHRC as per the rules and process detailed and are additionally required to contact SSHRC prior to 30 October 2025 at to signal their intention to submit an application.
Proposals can involve any disciplines, thematic areas, approaches or subject areas eligible for SSHRC funding. See for more information.
Requirements related to final applications will be shared with successful EOI applicants, during the in-person workshop in February 2026.
Deadline
To apply to participate in the sandpit, by 4:00pm UK time on Thursday 30 October 2025.
If successful, outcomes and invitations to attend the sandpit will be communicated by Friday 12 December 2025.
How we will assess your application
Expressions of interest will be assessed based on the following criteria.
Suitability and fit to the sandpit process
The sandpit is an intensive setting requiring you to develop novel approaches with individuals you may not know. We’re looking for attendees who are comfortable working outside of pre-defined teams and project ideas to generate novel approaches and proposals.
Relevant research background, expertise and experience
We’ll be looking at how well you have linked your background, expertise and experience to the aims of the sandpit, including the themes and approaches laid out in the Doing AI Differently white paper.
Thematic insight and technical vision
We’ll be looking at how well you articulate the specific opportunities and challenges you foresee within the interpretive technologies theme, and to what extent your response references the Doing AI Differently White Paper.
Interdisciplinary integration capability and insight
We’re looking for applicants who can articulate a vision of meaningful integration between interpretive and technical approaches in AI development.
The ability to work collaboratively and within interdisciplinary environments
We’re looking for applicants with a genuine commitment to interdisciplinary working, avoiding tokenism or shallow inclusion of disciplines.
Contribution to cohort balance
To support a balanced workshop environment, we will also consider disciplinary diversity, career stage, institutional and geographic spread, and representation of underrepresented perspectives or communities when deciding the final invitee list. This criterion will not override the others.
Contact details
Ask about this funding opportunity
AHRC International: UK and US-based applicants