The University of Newcastle Faculty of Education and Arts‘ third internal funding round for Research Programmes opened in November last year and closed on 20 February 2012. Six bids were received and subjected to a thorough review from a Selection Advisory Panel. The Panel was unanimous in selecting two bids for funding in 2012-2013, one of which was on Religion in Political Life (RiPL). The bid was fostered under the auspices of the Group for Religious and Intellectual Traditions and included the shared research interests of its key members. The following is a brief summary of the program from the Faculty of Education and Arts Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. John Germov:
“Religion in Political Life (RiPL) led by Dr Tim Stanley and to be administered by the Humanities Research Institute. Religion in Political Life is a very focussed and well-honed programme, building on an acknowledged Faculty research strength that was rated a 4 in the first ERA assessment. The bid conveyed authentic intellectual reach having a sharp and sophisticated conceptual frame. The Panel noted that this bid was at the cutting-edge of contemporary European thinking and had the potential for international links. The interdisciplinary team—Dr Tim Stanley, Associate Professor Roland Boer, Professors Hilary Carey, Terry Lovat, and John McDowell, and Dr Kath McPhillips—has an impressive track record, with evidence of existing collaborations, and a demonstrated capacity to undertake the project and deliver high-quality outcomes.”