RICHeS Access Fund Catalyst Projects Awards Funding to Five Heritage Science Initiatives
The RICHeS Access Fund Catalyst Projects have announced funding for five brand new initiatives, using cutting-edge heritage science to drive innovative research, transform approaches to accessibility, and unlock new forms of community engagement.
The Catalyst Projects will help to shape the full RICHeS Access Fund in advance of the much-anticipated launch of the Full Application Stage on Wednesday 28th January 2026. The Fund will enable heritage science and conservation researchers, research organisations and other eligible users to access RICHeS-funded equipment, specialist facilities, nationally important collections and expert guidance. The initiative aims to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and demonstrate the value of distributed research infrastructure to both the research community and the wider public.
1. ‘Embedding Accessibility: Making Scientific Analysis Tactile for the Visually Impaired’
Dr Ben Edwards, Manchester Metropolitan University
2. ‘Moving Pictures: Preserving Automotive Film Heritage’
Dr David Thicket, English Heritage
3. ‘Unlocking the Sulgrave Archaeological Archive through Community Science’
Dr Sean Doherty, University of Exeter
4. ‘Charred Plant Remains and Wood Charcoal from the Late Neolithic Village at Durrington Walls’
Dr Catherine Longford, University of Sheffield
5. ‘Romans at the Tweed: Returning to Trimontium to examine a crossing point at the northern limit of the Roman Empire’
Dr Kayt Armstrong, University of Bradford