ESRC Strategy – Building a Word Class Research Infrastructure Professor Patricia Broadfoot – Chair ESRC Research Resourc

1. ESRC Strategy – Building a Word Class Research InfrastructureProfessor Patricia Broadfoot – Chair ESRC Research Resources Board

2. Vision and role under the ESRC Strategic Framework • To create a world class UK social science infrastructure that will underpin the delivery of the highest quality social and economic research • The work of the Board falls primarily under the Capacity strand of the Council’s Strategic Framework • The Research Resources Board has a budget of £13.5m p.a.

3. Defining research infrastructure • Broad definition which includes: • Quantitative, qualitative and spatial research data; • Broader information sources including bibliographic and library holdings; • Methodological tools and techniques; • Broader research skills; • Tools, such as software and computing resources.

4. The UK social science infrastructure: the current picture • The internationally renowned collection of longitudinal studies (NCDS, BCS70, BHPS, Millco) • The British Election Study • The Workplace Employee Relations Survey • The UK Census of Population • International Macro Databanks • The European Social Survey • One of the finest collections of qualitative data • World-leading bibliographic resources

5. The UK social science infrastructure: making it work • The Economic and Social Data Service • The Research Methods Programme • The National Centre for Research Methods • The National Centre for e-Social Science • In the last 5 years the Council has invested close to £60m in developing UK data resources and new methodological tools and techniques

6. Building a world class research infrastructure for the future – the need for further development • Bigger and better datasets are required if the UK is to meet the research challenges of the C21 • More needs to be done to drive forward the future development of sophisticated methodological tools and techniques • Exploit the Opportunities presented by ‘grid’ technologies

7. A 10 year strategy for developing a social science research infrastructure • Create a world leading data infrastructure that will allow researchers to address the key social and economic research challenges of the C21 • Maximise easy and effective access to that infrastructure • Drive forward the development and uptake of leading edge methodological tools and techniques to improve the creation, management and analysis of data resources.

8. A 10 year strategy for developing a social science research infrastructure (cont) • Promote the widespread exploitation of the data infrastructure across and beyond the social science community; and • Develop and promote access to the broader information resources that underpin high quality social science research • Delivering this strategy will require ‘Strategic Partnerships’

9. A world class data infrastructure • The National Strategy for Data Resources for the Social Sciences • Maintain a commitment to the further funding of its existing collection of longitudinal studies • Improve access to existing longitudinal resources • Develop new longitudinal resources • Continue to support the expansion and development of other major studies

10. A world class data infrastructure (2) • Secure access to census of population and survey data • Work with government departments and agencies to develop the research potential of administrative data sources • Expand access to commercial data sources • Extend our portfolio of international data resources

11. Maximising data access • The development and application of grid intensive technologies that promote global data sharing • The use of grid technologies to ‘e-enable’ major social science data resources • National and International initiatives aimed at improving access to social science data resources • Initiatives aimed at opening up access to sensitive data

12. Developing methodological tools and techniques • Develop new initiatives in survey data collection and measurement • Extend support for multi-method approaches • Develop new initiatives in comparative research methods • Support pioneering developments in quantitative and qualitative data analysis

13. Promoting the use of the social science data infrastructure • Support strategies to improve quantitative skills in schools and undergraduate teaching • Expand postgraduate training in quantitative methods • Extend fellowship and mid career re-skilling programmes • Develop targeted programmes of secondary data analysis • Create a national social science advanced training infrastructure

14. Supporting the broader social science information environment • Support the further development of ESRC Society Today • Support the future development of information services • Promoting open access initiatives • Work with other agencies to promote access

15. Conclusion • The ESRC has set itself an ambitious strategy for developing a world class social science research infrastructure. • It will require a sustained commitment, not only from the ESRC, but from a range of stakeholders. • By working together, it will be possible to build a world class social science infrastructure that will keep the UK at the international forefront of economic and social research.