A new Arts and Humanities Research Board is being established for England and Northern Ireland, with £36m to spend this year and £44m for 1999-2000. People will be invited to apply for grants from the middle of July.

Professor Langford: "Much scope for collaboration between arts and humanities"

The new Arts and Humanities Research Board will be chaired by Paul Langford, Professor of Modern History at Oxford University - a specialist in 18th Century Britain and its colonies. Other members have yet to be appointed.

Professor Langford told BBC News online that he hoped the board would become a fully-fledged research council, also encompassing Scotland and Wales. That depends as much as anything on the results of the government's comprehensive spending review, due shortly.

The move follows a recommendation by the Dearing Inquiry into higher education, which reported last year. That said: "We heard from practitioners in the arts and humanities that they believe research in their fields is unfairly treated in comparison with other areas."

Justification

It noted that in the past, this type of research had not attracted very much public support. A special report commissioned by the committee said: "Science and the humanities and arts contribute to the quality of life of the nation in different ways.

"Each sector has relevance to both the material and the non-material quality of life. While science chiefly improves the material quality of life, the humanities typically enhance our non-material cultural, civic and social experience and the arts contribute to the practical as well as the aesthetic quality of life."

Professor Langford said: "I think this will offer us a major opportunity to enhance public awareness of the value of arts and humanities research, which is often overlooked - both demonstrating the tangible benefits, and the intellectual underpinning of so many aspects of life in a civilised society."

He pointed to the major contributions made to the leisure, tourism and heritage industries - all important economically. It also provided all sorts of opportunities for participation by ordinary people - part of the 'lifelong learning' process.

Dearing recommended that £45m to £50m per year should be available - which implied additional funding to what is currently available from various sources of £25m, to be built up over three years.

'Significant step'

The Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, Professor Brian Fender, said: "I am delighted that this project has received such widespread support.

"We see it as a significant step towards setting up a Research Council, and putting support for research in the arts and humanities on a similar footing to other disciplines."

The British Academy currently supports humanities research and will be funding the new board to the tune of £19m. Its President, Sir Tony Wrigley, said: "I am very pleased that the campaign for significant increases in the funding for research in the arts and humanities has now borne fruit through this joint initiative.