ESRC STRATEGIC PLAN 2005-2010

1. Steve MorganAssociate Director for Research, Training and DevelopmentHewlett Foundation/Population Reference Bureau Conference; London 02.11.2006

2. ESRC STRATEGIC PLAN 2005-2010

3. - 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

4. - Our principles - • Quality Relevance Independence • Quality Funding research and training of the highest quality by world standards • Relevance Focusing on areas of major national importance and key policy areas • Independence Ensuring independence from political, commercial or sectional interests

5. FRAMEWORK • Four broad but integrated categories of activities: • Research • Capacity • Engagement • Performance

6. KEY PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS • Seizing new research opportunities and being responsive to both the social science research community and our wider stakeholders • 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

7. HEWLETT/ESRC Scheme – An example - Still under discussion and subject to formal approval by ESRC and clarification of legal issues by Hewlett; • Target date for formal launch is January 2007; • ESRC will be the implementing agent; • Scheme will require high Quality research with Impact on the issue of economic development, poverty reduction and population dynamics/ reproductive health; • Reconciles substantive research and capacity building in one scheme; • Will cover UK, European and African research teams – with lead applicants from UK or Africa; • Will encourage all appropriate disciplines to participate.

8. HEWLETT-ESRC Scheme • Research Projects but allows and encourages Capacity Building • Focus is on innovative research that will add new insights and understanding to the global social science knowledge base. • Also recognises that capacity is a problem in some developing country contexts – HENCE scheme encourages human capacity and technical capacity issues to be addressed.

9. HEWLETT-ESRC Scheme • Research Focus: • Scheme will address relationship between economic development and poverty reduction on the one hand, and population dynamics and reproductive health matters. • Will include a challenge for the research community to address the difficult issue of causality.

10. HEWLETT-ESRC Scheme • Capacity Building covers: • Development and exploitation of new datasets (with attention to long-term sustainability beyond project life) • New Methodological developments • Human capacity – Doctoral students, Visiting Fellows, Professorial Fellowships

11. HEWLETT-ESRC Scheme • Both sponsors want to see impact from the projects; • Requires projects to have an appropriate engagement strategy with all stakeholders; • Recognises that knowledge pathways are dynamic and operate during lifetime of a project; • Not just “end-of-pipe”

12. HEWLETT-ESRC Scheme • Hewlett is a private US Foundation and can fund anywhere in the world. • Hence: Hewlett involvement means we can fund anyone anywhere in the world – do not need a UK partner. • Focus for this scheme is UK, Africa and Europe, though European involvement will be as co-applicants to UK- or African-led team

13. ESRC-DFID Scheme – Another Example • Two calls to date: • International peer review and panel • Around £4million allocated to 9 projects in February 2006 • Around £3million allocated to 14 projects in Sept 06 • 28 large-scale projects shortlisted to submit full applications

14. Science for Development • Key time for research relevant to development • Research agencies looking at what they fund, how and why • Recognise that need to learn from each other, seek synergies and watch for duplication • Development agencies that fund research are assessing what they do, how and why

15. My reflections on the future • Research landscape is characterised by multiple actors and fragmentation - Need to work together • Need to triangulate research funders with aid agencies and with research community • Need to ensure that the best of social sciences contribute to the debates on an equal footing in all parts of the world – need to break “ghettoisation”

16. My reflections on future • Like many, I believe the time is right for a re-conceptualisation of the terms “development” and “development research”, etc • All subjects need to reflect on their entry point into the issues – need to move on from previous agendas • Terminology needs to be addressed; eg “development” has colonial roots and term subliminally suggests dependence – fosters an “us and them” mentality • Should think in terms of a “global us” and in terms of mutual concern for mutual issues • Sense of déjà vu with the global environmental agenda in ’90s

17. My reflections (contd) • Geographical focus based on national boundaries is breaking down • Poverty exists all over the world – emerging economies like China and India are breaking the national paradigm • Greater focus on topics and issues • Greater focus at both the local (participation of peoples) and also at the regional (eg, South Asia, West Africa, etc)

18. Some big challenges • Reconciling environmental and development agendas • Understanding the economic and social drivers of change and transformation at the household, local, national and international levels • Developing a new paradigm that recognises the growing interdependencies of peoples and systems • New models for assessing relevance and impact of research and development aid

19. Steve MorganAssociate Director for Research, Training and Developmentsteve.morgan@esrc.ac.uk