Update on Centres for Doctoral Training

1. ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL Update on Centres for Doctoral Training Lucy Brady, Head of Research Careers Strategy, EPSRC

2. The current CSR features - EPSRC Picture £1,940 million committed to our core business in Training, Knowledge Exchange and Research Values are £m commitment 2008 - 11

3. CDT launch event – 5 December 2008

4. CDTs – a high volume new investment • Speaking at the launch in December 2008, Lord Drayson said: “Britain faces many challenges in the 21st Century and needs scientists and engineers with the right skills to find answers to these challenges. EPSRC’s doctoral training centres will provide a new wave of engineers and scientists to do the job”. • £280m was invested in 2008 in 45 new centres* which will train over 2000 students over the next 5 years. *now 50 full new centres totaling £304 million are in place

5. CDT Portfolio by Area

6. Research Base CDTs by Programme area

7. EPSRC thoroughly reviewed its ‘Balance of People’ support by programme during 2009 • (studentships, postgraduates, early career, fellowships, established career)

8. Undergraduate Postgraduate Postdoctoral Early Career Established Career Total Total Total Total Total Total 9,531 6,074 365 191 36 4,315 students via Doctoral Training Accounts 2,910 Project Students 1234 students via Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT) 569 Industrial Case + 503 ‘Other’ 5,983 Postdoctoral Researchers 90 Postdoctoral Fellows 1 Other 315 First Grants 3 EURY1 47 Career Acceleration Fellows 151 Fellows** 40 Leadership Fellows 18 Senior Fellows** 18 Other Senior Champions e.g. Research Chairs, Senior Media Fellows Vacation Bursaries [+120 new SPSRC StF* & 350 Mission/User led CDT students starting annually from 2009] 3,639 Research Grants 6,698 Unique Investigators (4,947 PIs and 6,685 Co-Is) Current Portfolio -2010 Number of people supported by EPSRC across the career path – current portfolio 2010

9. Balance of People Exercise - Postgraduate Training: Advice and Next Steps • Flexible provision that adds real value to the individual and allows widening of horizons – no automatic move to 4 year PhD. • Better career advice pre-entry. • Support for cohort approach to training – keep coverage provided by Centres for Doctoral Training under review. • EPSRC statement of expectations of postgraduate training support and University statement of how EPSRC support is being used strategically.

10. Encouraging Creativity - A possible approach Creativity@Home objectives • For the academic groups to: • Learn about a range of creative problem solving tools and techniques and how this might help creativity in research. • Explore the future research vision and cross-disciplinary opportunities in their group using these tools. • Engage postdoctoral and postgraduate researchers in idea generation. • Develop a cohort of trained people that have learnt creative problem solving techniques so that the approaches become embedded in their group, department, institution.

11. Creativity@home Outcomes • Positive impacts on participants (research managers, senior academics, post-docs, students….). • Imperial CDT – Wing-Chau’s experience. • What can EPSRC do to persuade other Centres to commit resources to this?

12. What's Next? • The EPSRC ‘Strategic Plan’ for the next four years was published in late March 2010. • Treasury announce results of the Spending Review on 20 October 2010. • The EPSRC Delivery Plan (the ‘HOW’ document) will be published in early 2011.

13. Evaluation framework • Aim to demonstrate the success of centres based on the original objectives of their strategic importance, international standing and training, supervision and management at host research organisations. • This includes the effect the centre is having on: • The students themselves and their subsequent careers • The host research organisation • The wider community nationally and internationally.

14. Evaluation Framework – outline timetable • Review at 3 year point. • May 2011 – Reports sought. • July to September 2011 – Review panels / interviews / visits as required to collect information. • October 2011 – Feedback. • After experience of recruiting 3 full cohorts.

15. The key questions at the review in 2011 • Objectives and CDT operation? • Student outcomes (in and out)? • Taught components management? • Impact at host research organisation? • Wider impact outside the research organisation?

16. Some final thoughts: • How can Centres share their experience/benefits of the Centre/cohort approach to training more widely - within their Institutions, within their fields? • How can Centres share experience and successes amongst themselves and learn from each other most effectively? • What can Centres share and learn about exposing students to broader experiences and environments outside the host Institution? • Remember to share your successes with us!

17. CENTRES FOR DOCTORAL TRAINING:EPSRC contact points • Complexity Science Centres [Kedar Pandya] • Digital Economy Centres Helen Bailey • Energy Centres Samantha Riches • Industrial Doctoral Centres Jim Fleming • Life Science Interface Centres [Kedar Pandya] • Nanoscience Centres Chris Jones • Research Base Centres Steve Milsom

18. Thank you for your attention • Questions and queries? • Lucy.brady@epsrc.ac.uk • Steve.milsom@epsrc.ac.uk • Monitoring and evaluation framework at: • www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/students/centres/framework/Pages/default.aspx