Research Forum
Based at the University of Cambridge, Cambridge Interfaith Research Forum provides a hub for members of the University to exchange scholarship aligned with our goals, and to develop skills relevant to our commitments to outreach and public engagement.
The Forum is interdisciplinary, offering options for networking and collaboration. Members may receive strategic support from the Programme team, as a sounding board for new initiatives, profiling and disseminating information about Members’ activities, and highlighting relevant opportunities in and beyond Cambridge.
Member benefits include access to a dedicated small grant scheme, consultancy, and other opportunities. Browse the section menu (left or via menu icon) for more information—some pages are only visible to University of Cambridge users.
The Forum is attached to the Cambridge Interfaith Programme, a research centre domiciled in the Faculty of Divinity.
Joining the Forum
From the Faculty of Divinity
Any University or College staff member with a formal connection to the Faculty of Divinity (e.g., as a lecturer or research fellow) is eligible to join the Forum on an opt-in basis. Those eligible will already have an entry in the Faculty of Divinity web directory.
We ask those opting in to provide at least one example of your relevant research activity or interests, suitable to be shared on our website and in other public-facing venues.
Visiting scholars and postgraduate students in the Faculty of Divinity are also eligible to join the Forum for the duration of your agreed visit or studies (as Visiting and Postgraduate student members, respectively).
Select the Faculty of Divinity option when applying.
Other University staff and students
Expertise in inter-religious studies and commitment to enhance interfaith activity are not the sole preserve of the Faculty of Divinity. The Forum offers other members of the University of Cambridge (including staff and students) the opportunity to affiliate, subject to a short application process. Affiliates are included in our internal communications (receiving priority notification of training and development opportunities) and are listed on our website alongside other Forum members.
Application requires a CV and cover letter, which should be addressed to Cambridge Interfaith Programme’s Academic Director and submitted via the standard web form. Applicants not already known to us will normally have a one-to-one interview with a member of the Programme’s core team to determine how your interests and activities align with Forum aims. The interviewer will then make a recommendation for consideration by the CIP Management Committee and (where relevant) approval by the Faculty Board. The Management Committee meets termly (normally in March, May, and November).
There is no charge for affiliation. It is normally agreed for a fixed term (12 months), though this may be extended on review.
Select the Affiliated membership option when applying.
Postgraduates outside Divinity
For postgraduates, affiliations may also be made by written recommendation of a Faculty of Divinity lecturer, subject to the Academic Director’s approval and vetting. This is the recommended route for those on one-year programmes external to Divinity, as eg, MPhil, PGCE, etc.
Select the Affiliated membership option when applying.
Alumni Network
Those who have graduated from the University of Cambridge, or undertaken an extended study programme with Cambridge Interfaith Programme (including an Academic Summer School), are eligible to join the Forum Alumni Network. This is also available to those who requested to join the Forum during an official academic visit to Cambridge.
Select Alumni network when applying.
Alumni members are not listed publicly.
Friends
Former postdoctoral researchers and others who have worked with or for CIP in the past, including as collaborators in research projects, may seek to become Friends of the Forum. This option is also available to those who have retired from the Faculty (or Faculty-affiliated roles).
Final year undergraduate students may also enquire about Friend status.
Select Friend when applying.
Others
Where Forum activities are open to the general public, information will be published online and shared with those who subscribe to our free mailing lists.
We are not able to offer any form of affiliation to those not otherwise connected to the University.
