History UK works actively on topics that are of relevance to historians in higher education. You can find a list of previous and upcoming events in the Events section of our website and reports on other activities on the blog.
We fund events and projects across the UK and have responded to a number of consultations over the years.
On this page you can find information about our funded projects and long-term initiatives in which we have been engaged.
If you would like to apply for project funding, please go to funding section of the website. Alternatively, you may approach one of the co-convenors if you would like to host one of our recurrent teaching or research events.
2021-22: Trends in History Provision in UK Higher Education
News of staff cuts and course closures at a number of universities have contributed to a
fear that history is under threat, particularly in post-92 universities. Yet there is little
publicly available or accessible data that can provide a more detailed picture for history
and support advocacy for the subject.
In September 2021, History UK commissioned a research study to scope trends and future
directions in history provision, and to help build an evidence base that is accessible for
historians. The resulting report, Trends in History Provision in UK Higher Education,
investigates UK-wide trends in university enrolments, with a focus on history
undergraduate programmes, and including recruitment and outcomes.
The summary report be can found online here, or downloaded as a PDF document.
The full report will be published in June 2022.
2017-present: Working with The National Archives on a higher education-archive sector partnership
From 2017-2018, History UK worked with TNA and the Higher Education Archive Programme (HEAP) to produce a Guide to Collaboration between the Archive and Higher Education Sectors. This guide was supported by innovative case studies from across the archives and higher education sectors and gives insights into the drivers, initiatives, support and language of both sectors. It also offers advice on identifying organisational and project priorities. The guidance explains how to understand outputs and outcomes in mutually beneficial projects and offers advice for measuring impact in cross-sector collaborations.
A copy of the guide can be accessed here: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/projects-and-programmes/the-higher-education-archive-programme/
Extended version of the case studies that were included in the guidance are being uploaded to the History UK website, starting with one on the ‘Our Criminal Ancestors’ project.
The guide was launched at a workshop at TNA in July 2018, and in the first half of 2019 we organised workshops across the country to further develop HE-archive sector partnership working and to raise awareness of the collaborative guidance.
In 2021, we also worked with the TNA’s HEAP team to co-organise a researcher-archivist networking event, with a focus on accessibility and inclusive archival practices. Resources from the event can be found one the ‘Research Resilience’ pages.