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- Our purpose -

Lab Group Round Table Sustainable Funding Models 4 th May 2006 Gary Grubb, Associate Director, Research, Training and Development Directorate, ESRC. - Our purpose -. Knowledge Impact Advancing knowledge in all areas of human and social activity

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- Our purpose -

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  1. Lab Group Round TableSustainable Funding Models4th May 2006Gary Grubb, Associate Director,Research, Training and Development Directorate, ESRC

  2. - Our purpose - • Knowledge Impact • Advancing knowledge in all areas of human and social activity • Promoting its use for people in the United Kingdom and the wider world

  3. ESRC’S NEW STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK • Three guiding principles: • 1) Quality: Funding research and training of the highest quality by world standards; peer and merit review of research • 2) Relevance: Focusing on areas of major scientific & national importance • 3) Independence: Ensuring independence from political, commercial or sectional interests

  4. Facts and figures (2004/05) • £85m invested in research • £31m invested in training • At any one time, the ESRC supports: • 2,200 doctoral students • 800 grants and fellowships • 350 projects within our 20-30 managed programmes • 30 large scale research and resource centres • Over 120 institutions carry out research with ESRC funds

  5. NEW STRATEGIC FRAMEWORKKEY PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS • Seizing new research opportunities and being responsive to both the social science research community and our wider stakeholders • Addressing key research challenges relating to ‘living in Britain today’ and ‘Britain in the wider world’ • Strengthening the social science research base – people, disciplines, data, methods and infrastructure • Operating in a global context – a commitment to the increasing internationalisation of all aspects of our work

  6. ESRC Approach to Funding Research • Reducing barriers to high quality research • Science First, Mode Second • Mode depends on: • - Science need (e.g. key research questions, type of research, data & resource needs, single, multi or inter-disciplinary) • - Current capacity (e.g. concentrated or distributed, other initiatives in field) • - Other aims (e.g. capacity building, international collaboration, partnership, stakeholder engagement and knowledge transfer) • Different modes have different strengths and may be appropriate in different areas or to meet different aims

  7. How ESRC Funds Research • Responsive mode: • - Small Grants (£15k-£100k FEC) (Open Date) • - Standard Grants (£100k-£1.5m FEC) (Open Date) • - Large Grants (£1.5m - £5m FEC) (Annual) • - Post-Doc & Standard Fellowships (Open date) • - Professorial Fellowships (Biennial) - Seminars competition (annual) - New initiative – highlight notice on society, social behaviour and neurosciences with MRC

  8. How ESRC Funds Research • Directive Mode: • Concentrated: Research Centres and Groups • Distributed: Research Programme, Focused Initiative, Research Network • Mixed model- e.g. virtual centre, hub and spokes • Collaborative funding – using a variety of models • Capacity Building: • Resource Centres and Programmes, Capacity Clusters, Researcher Development Initiative • Capacity Building under Programmes / Initiatives: • e.g. linked studentships, scoping studies, capacity building, development awards

  9. Examples of Successful Funding Modes: Research Centres • ESRC Research Centres • - 10 years funding, second 5 years subject to mid-term review, longer term research programme agenda. • - After 10 years may compete for further 5 years of funding. - Usually single site, occasionally split slit, some operate networks, fellowship programme. - Normally annual competition, may be open, open with a highlight or focussed. - Groups – smaller 5-year investments.

  10. Examples of Funding Modes: Centres • Advantages • Long term programme but flexibility to adapt • Leadership of single director • Focus for stakeholder engagement (co-funding potential) and international collaboration • Development of research capacity (studentships / careers etc) and inter-disciplinarity in one site • Issues: • Drawing on expertise and alternative perspectives / approaches outside the core institution(s); • Broader capacity building amongst rest of community

  11. Examples of Funding Modes: Centres • Examples of Centres: • CREDIT- Centre for Research in Development, Instruction & Training, University of Nottingham, Dir: Prof David Wood, 1992-2002, c£5m fed into new Learning Sciences Research Institute http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/lsri/ • SKOPE: Centre for Skills Knowledge and Organisational Performance, Univ of Oxford & Warwick, Dir: Ken Mayhew, 1998-2008, c£4.5m http://www.skope.ox.ac.uk/ • DCAL: Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre, UCL 2005-2015, Dir: Prof Bencie Wall http://www.dcal.ucl.ac.uk/

  12. Examples of Successful Funding Modes: Programmes and Networks • Programme: Collection of individual projects (often 20+) commissioned against a publicised specification, typically 5 years, sometimes with more than one phase of commissioning (typically£5+m). Director usually appointed to lead and co-ordinate. • Network: Applications comprise a cluster of linked projects from say 3-5 institutions/teams with an identified co-ordinator from within the consortium. • Focused Initiative: typically 3-8 substantial separate projects commissioned to a tightly focused specification, co-ordinator appointed from one of the teams, typically £3-5m

  13. Examples of Funding Modes: Programmes and Networks • Advantages • Draw on best expertise and different perspectives and approaches across the UK to address key issues • mobilising the community • brings in range of stakeholder contacts • Issues • Achieving synergy and coherence from disparate projects • Long-terms sustainability beyond project funding • Responsiveness when projects selected • Management of individual projects to achieve common aims

  14. Examples of Funding Modes: Programmes and Networks • Examples of Programmes / Networks: • People at Centre of Communication and Information Technologies (PACCIT) Dir: Prof. Anne Anderson, Univ of Glasgow (joint with EPSRC and DTI LINK) 1999-2006, c£8m, 30 projects over 3 phases (2 LINK phases) http://www.paccit.gla.ac.uk/ • Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) £38m, 10+ years (HEFCE, DfES, Devolved Administrations, ESRC, EPSRC). http://www.tlrp.org/ • - First phase 4 research networks, later phases large research projects, extension projects also fellowships, thematic seminars, capacity building initiatives.

  15. Teaching and Learning Research Programme • Technology Enhanced Learning Call (ESRC/EPSRC) • Acting Associate Directors Team – Assoc/Deputy Director to be appointed following commissioning of first call • First call (£6m) - Four strategic research challenges - Outline proposal for 3-5 large projects £0.5m to £1.5m FEC - Full proposals capacity building / development awards up to £15k-£60k FEC, 6 months • Second call planned for 2007

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