Introducing the Tuning In project

Diasporas, Migration and Identities, a £6.3 million, trans-disciplinary programme, was launched in April 2005. It is the first autonomous research programme run by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), aiming to involve scholars from a wide range of disciplines in research, reflection, discussion and public dissemination. Several different funding schemes have been initiated: small and large research projects, workshops and networks, conferences and seminars. The programme fosters interdisciplinary engagement and partnerships with the public sector, the cultural sector and the wider community.

In August 2006 the AHRC funded 15 large research projects (of 157 applications) including Tuning In: Diasporic Contact Zones at BBC World Service. Principal Investigator Professor Marie Gillespie and research team (The Open University/CRESC) were awarded £496,476. The final application was graded A+ by peer reviewers. The Tuning In project began in January 2007.

Principal Investigator

• Prof Marie Gillespie (The Open University/CRESC)

Co-applicants

• Dr Jason Toynbee (The Open University)
• Prof Kath Woodward (The Open University)
• Prof Annabelle Sreberny (SOAS)

Senior research consultants

• Dr Gerd Baumann (Amsterdam)
• Dr Andrew Skuse (Adelaide)

Research Fellows

• Ms Matilda Andersson
• Dr Fatima Assawi
• Dr Andrew Hill
• Dr Farida Vis
• Dr Alban Webb