The goal of this study is to review and synthesize work on the value and impact of research in the Arts and Humanities and the role of funding in promoting this research and its impact. There has been increasing attention on the value of research in the Humanities, in part driven by the growing focus on measuring research performance, and on the scientific and societal impact of research together with an increasing policy direction towards addressing societal challenges. Greater knowledge of the nature of research in the Arts and Humanities, how knowledge or other outputs are produced, its academic and non-academic impact and how it takes place – in other words, the entire process from research to impact – and how it can be measured either by quantitative or qualitative means can be valuable for understanding the role of funding in promoting research and impact. A growing literature has examined the societal impact of research in general, often implicitly with the natural, technical or medical sciences in mind, while less work specifically examines the context for the Arts and Humanities.  

The project is funded by the Augustinus Foundation and runs from October 2024 to April 2025