Programmes and Grants at the Nuffield Foundation

1. Programmes and Grants atthe Nuffield Foundation Sharon Witherspoon Deputy Director

3. The Nuffield Foundation • Endowed charitable trust, annual spend £11 million • General objective: • ‘the advancement of social well-being, particularly by means of scientific research’

4. Main Areas of Activity • Social research, social science and social policy • Education • Science (mainly new capacity and some areas of science policy, especially Bioethics)

5. Research Funding by Charities • Picture is dominated by medical research funding. • Wellcome Trust £550m pa. (about £30m Social Science & Humanities) • Fund raising charities (eg Cancer Research UK at £200m pa; BHFn at £75m pa) • See AMRC website. www.amrc.org.uk • Only a few Foundations fund non-medical research, e.g., Nuffield, Leverhulme, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn, Paul Hamlyn, Sutton Trust. • New context of government cuts in higher education, research councils, government social research spending. • For information on non-medical Foundations see ACF website. www.acf.org.uk

6. Context I: Tough Times • Cuts in central spending on Universities (teaching and research) and research councils of uncertain magnitude but large (after decade of growth) • Concern over concentration in research: • Protection of infrastructure important (especially QM and empirical studies) • But social science excellence can be dispersed • Consideration of effects on research and on teaching/training

7. Context II: Social Science Evidence and Public Benefit • Impact Agenda: • Wider ‘public benefit’ • Incentives for institutional support, NOT every project • Longer-term benefit • Want vigorously to promote view that social science evidence matters: • for policy, practice, public understanding and debate • Important criteria for choice of funding: • Is it important? • What will be done with findings by whom: • Various models • But serious and concrete discussion expected

8. Grant Programmes For Social Research & Policy or Practice Innovation • Self-contained, usually larger grants • Implications for policy or practice in short or medium term • Grants of £10k - £300k (larger grants over more than one year)

9. Grant Programmes • Engagement with real world: • Implications for policy or practice – “Impact” • Both practical projects and research: • Critical synthetic reviews, pulling together evidence • Evaluation • Self-contained research projects • Methodological rigour: • NO preference for any one method • But methodology must be appropriate • Responsive – NOT REACTIVE – mode: • We commission some projects • And have areas of special interest

10. Key Criteria: Questions Trustees ask Is the topic important and of interest to the Foundation? Are the results of wider interest, or ‘fancy that’ research? Is the research design rigorous and appropriate?Methodology of highest standard, apt for questions being asked? Is the right sort of team assembled? Does project have implications for policy or practice? Does the plan for communication back this up?

11. University overheads are NOT fundedExcept in exceptional circumstances (i.e. commissioned work) Relatively flexible view of direct costsIncludes secretarial support, 100 % of all directly-related costs, except estate costs for PIs PI Costs (largely) includedWant adequate senior time but no gaming of system Budgets are scrutinised No one way of working with grantholders: Often use advisory committees, have closer involvement, if we can add value Research & Innovation Funding

12. Full economic costs: PI salaries Salary limit of £75k p.a. Up to ½ day a week: not eligible ½ day to 2 days: eligible, but describe what you will do (quantum judged by peer reviewers and Trustees) Over 2 days: special case, including relief from teaching and administration REMEMBER: The Foundation pays 100% of eligible costs but NO overheads (‘indirect costs’)

13. Areas of Special Interest Social Research and Innovation Children and families £1,000k pa Law in Society £600k pa “Open Door” £1,400k pa Education £ 1,200k pa Foundations for learning (language, maths in early years) Science and maths curriculum and teaching Secondary school transitions

14. Wide ranging interests: Ensuring social policy takes account of what we know about child development, especially for vulnerable children Child welfare in broader institutional context: child care; early years; education policy; Children growing up in adverse conditions, including child protection and placement Family law : Legal, financial and family aspects of divorce and separation, cohabitation, child support Changing Adolescence Programme Children and Families Programme

15. Law in Society Mainly empirical studies Administrative justice Tribunals, ombudsmen and non-court forms of dispute resolution Enforcement: what happens after adjudication Mental health and welfare law Cross-national comparisons, especially European comparisons

16. Open Door Special Themes in: Poverty, welfare and redistribution Making better law: Scrutiny of law making, constitution Older people: Financial circumstances and economic planning for later life (pensions and long-term care) Independent reviews of current statutory provision across broad range of issues In all areas, European comparisons are of special interest, as are cross-disciplinary approaches (e.g., cohabitation)

17. Grants for Research & Innovation: Application Procedure Full details given in our Website www.nuffieldfoundation.org Procedure: 3 page outline In-house scrutiny of full application Referees: independent and peer review but this may include experts other than academics Decision by Trustees

18. II. Capacity-building programmes • Each has own particular purpose • Mainly social science, science, or Africa programme • Not linked to policy or practice • Changing context and concern over longer-term capacity

19. Science bursaries: School bursaries -- summer placements in labs etc Undergraduate bursaries – summer placements on research projects Oliver Bird post-graduate awards in rheumatology research Other programmes Nuffield Africa Programme Capacity-building programmes

20. Social Science Capacity-building (Current) Small grants ONLY to Dec 17th: Awards up to £15,000 Aim to develop research capacity in areas of special interest to us: Children and families Education Law and society Older people and their finances Government, law-making and constitutional change Poverty and welfare, redistribution Cross national comparisons Reviews of government policy or practice

21. Social Science Capacity-building (2011) New scheme under development for long-term capacity Focus on QUANTITATIVE METHODS in areas OTHER than economics and psychology (social policy; family; law; etc) Aimed at undergraduates and master’s students Value added and innovation as key criteria Centre funding: expect to spend £1.2m P.A. on 5-8 centres

22. ‘the advancement of social well-being, particularly by means of scientific research’www.nuffieldfoundation.org