Archaeological material from British Archaeologists can be submitted through the NERC/ARHC ORADS service which will cover the whole cost of dating if the application is successful. In order to qualify for this the archaeologist must be from a UK university and the project must be vetted by a panel appointed by NERC/ARHC. In addition to radiocarbon dates it is now possible to apply for luminescence dates. Further information is available from the deputy director.
NERC and ARHC share responsibility for funding archaeological research. NERC supports primarily science-based archaeology projects in which the major imperative is the novel application of natural sciences in order to address archaeological research questions. ARHC supports projects in which the major imperative is the resolution of archaeological research questions, regardless of the methodology employed. If you are unsure of whether your Radiocarbon Application falls within the NERC or the ARHC remits, you can view a description of these on the ARHC subject coverage web pages. Similarly, the NERC remit is online. You must indicate in the application whether your project falls within the remit of NERC, ARHC or both. It is advisable to contact the deputy director prior to submitting a final application to discuss these issues and forward draft proposals for comment and advice.
The deadline for the next round of applications is 12 October 2007.
We are happy to send pre-printed forms on which to apply to ORADS (please contact our administrator) but they are also available here in pdf format:
ORADS panel application form - for applying for funding for a project.Before completing the application form for Radiocarbon Analysis and attached project outline, please read the guidance notes below carefully. It is important to discuss the project with the ORADS Senior Archaeologist before submission.
When submitting your application you must send an electronic PDF copy of it to the ORADS Senior Archaeologist as well as posting a hard copy to the address below.
These guidance notes have been produced to help applicants to ORADS prepare their forms. In order to be eligible for NERC/ARHC funding through ORADS, the applicant must be from an institution which is a UK university, museum or related institution and the project must be vetted by the ORADS panel. It is possible to check the current NERC Grants booklet or the NERC website for eligibility information (www.nerc.ac.uk). The ARHC provides similar information on eligibility (www.ahrc.ac.uk).
ORADS Guidance Notes - for applying for funding for a project.It is the policy of the Unit to publish most, if not all, archaeological determinations in the form a datelist which appears biannually in the journal Archaeometry. This is seen as additional to the publication of the results by the applicant in research papers and site reports. On completion of a project applicants will be asked to provide short comments on the dates within a reasonable time. The facility is constantly under evaluation, therefore it is critical that ORADS is informed of all publications arising from ORADS dating projects.
The members of the ORADS panel are:
The meetings are also attended by the following members of the laboratory:
The immediate past-Chairman is Professor Christopher Caseldine, University of Exeter - Chairman (C.J.Caseldine@exeter.ac.uk)
Dr Tom Higham,
Secretary to the Advisory Panel/Deputy Director,
Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit,
Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art,
Dyson Perrins Building,
South Parks Road,
Oxford OX1 3QY.
Email: thomas.higham@rlaha.ox.ac.uk
Tel: +44 1865 285231