RICHeS is the UK’s Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage Science. It is a long term, £80 million commitment from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) – part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – to support excellence and collaboration within heritage and conservation science.
It will maximise the research and innovation potential of the UK heritage science by delivering a generational step change in sector effectiveness, efficiency and excellence. Specifically, it will:
- catalyse the development of an informed, collaborative and innovative UK heritage science community
- ensure that the heritage science sector has the capability and the capacity to meet user demand and deliver world-class scientific excellence
- ensure that heritage science equipment, expertise, resources and research data are findable and accessible to users, available to external stakeholders, and capable of being leveraged by a range of partners
RICHeS launched in October 2024 and will provide funding to 31 heritage science projects. Find out more about what we’ve funded.
Background to RICHeS
Heritage science is vital for preserving and understanding our shared cultural heritage, while encouraging innovation and the development of technologies which have supported other sectors. Several initiatives have supported the development of a more cohesive heritage science sector in the UK, including the:
- 2007-12 AHRC and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Science and Heritage Programme
- EPSRC-led SEAHA doctoral training programme
- formation of a National Heritage Science Forum (NHSF) in 2011
- development of a National Heritage Science Strategy in 2012
In 2020, AHRC awarded more than £35 million through its Capability for Collections Fund (CapCo) which provided investment into equipment, facilities and storage for cultural heritage collections and heritage science. This enabled organisations to replace out-of-date equipment and meet institutional demand. However, UKRI recognised that further investment would help the sector become world-leading and enable researchers and other users to benefit from facilities, equipment and collections.
RICHeS builds on the growing ambition of the heritage science sector and previous UKRI investment. It provides funding and staffing to develop and improve facilities and to support access from the wider research community, a genuine step-change for heritage science.
In 2023, we launched three funding calls for the RICHeS programme to ensure that the heritage science sector has the capability and the capacity to meet user demand and deliver world-class scientific excellence. These included:
- host facilities as part of our heritage science infrastructure
- host collections as part of our heritage science infrastructure
- the development of a heritage science data service for heritage science research
All funded projects begin in autumn 2024 and are expected to be completed in two years, apart from the Heritage Science Data Service (HSDS), which is a five-year project that will be live in three years.
Building RICHeS: a comprehensive timeline of UK heritage science initiatives and milestones
2006: House of Lords Select Committee
The House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology urged the heritage science sector to work together to develop a national strategy.
2007 to 2012: Initial investments
Funding from the AHRC and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) supports the development of the heritage science sector.
2011: National Heritage Science Forum launched
The AHRC/EPSRC Science and Heritage Programme received additional funds from the AHRC to enable the launch of the NHSF.
2011: National Heritage Science Strategy published
Following advice from the House of Lords Select Committee, the first National Heritage Science Strategy was developed.
2020: AHRC CapCo funding
The AHRC awards £35m in grants in the Capabilities for Collections Fund (CapCo).
2020 to 2023: Scoping of RICHeS
We held engagement events with heritage science organisations across the country to begin scoping for RICHeS and to build a strong business case.
2023: RICHeS funding calls
Three funding calls go live for RICHeS.
2024: The beginning of RICHeS
RICHeS-funded programmes commence, supported by the newly formed RICHeS Infrastructure Headquarters (IHQ) at the Sci-Tech Daresbury Campus.
2026: RICHeS projects go live
Funded projects will go live, accessed by external researchers and users with the support of the RICHeS Access Fund.
2027: HSDS to go live
We expect that the HSDS will go live three years into the project.
2029: RICHeS fully operational
From 2029, RICHeS will be steady operational, supporting the heritage science community across the UK and working closely with the European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science (E-RIHS) across Europe.