Strategic Archaeological Research Frameworks
About the Project
The Strategic Archaeological Research Frameworks Project is an initiative funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and supported by the Heritage Council and the Department for Communities. The over-arching goal of the project is the development of an all-island strategic archaeological research framework in Ireland as a means of better realising the value and impact of individual research projects by connecting them to a wider network of research, practitioners and outlets.
It aims:
- to establish the current state and nature of archaeological research activity, infrastructure and funding across the island.
- to identify gaps in the existing archaeological knowledge base.
- to articulate future research questions and associated infrastructural dependencies.
- to facilitate greater collaboration between all stakeholders including archaeological practitioners, those working in related fields, special interest community groups, and the wider public.
- to embrace external drivers of archaeological activity alongside curiosity and opportunity.
Outreach and Engagement
The development of this kind of framework was one of the recommendations of the Royal Irish Academy’s 2017 strategy, Archaeology 2025: Strategic Pathways for Archaeology in Ireland. The continuing and wider appetite for an all-island strategic research framework was confirmed by the results of a 2022 Discovery Programme pulse survey (the results of that survey are available to view here).
As we develop the project, we are now inviting more in-depth feedback from members of the archaeological profession in order to better understand the range and extent of the challenges and opportunities faced within the sector in relation to research activities. You can take part in the survey until 30 November 2023 here.
The results of this second survey will also help us develop a series of participatory workshops and meetings which will be held at various locations across the island, north and south, in early 2024. More details of these events will be circulated later this year.