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Contrary to statements in Times Higher Education ("AHRC plans spark mixed response", 8 May), the Arts and Humanities Research Council is most certainly not moving away from funding monographs by individual researchers. We at the AHRC regard monographs, whether single-authored or co-authored, as a vital research output of our community and very worthy of our funding.

At a time when significant arts and humanities research funders in the UK now report to the same government department, the imperative to be distinctive in our funding role has become even more obvious. The distinctiveness of the AHRC, its unique selling point, lies in its being the only funder of major collaborative research with high social, cultural and economic impacts.

We will continue to support individual researchers to produce monographs, either within the context of a collaborative grant or in programmes adapted to research by individuals that nevertheless contributes to our distinctive niche.