ESRC: Investing in Future Leaders

Professor Paul Boyle, Chief Executive

Content ▶ ESRC in Context ▶ Our Strategic Priorities ▶ Funding Opportunities ▶ Investing in the Future ▶ Research Infrastructure ▶ ESRC Collaborations and Partnerships

ESRC in Context

7 Research Councils and RCUK

▶ Social Science is embedded in all six cross-Council programmes

▶ ESRC leads – Global Uncertainties

RCUK Programmes

ESRC and what we do

▶ UK’s major public sector funder of social science research and post graduate training

▶ Non-Departmental Public Body, established in 1965, largely funded through the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS)

▶ Key Principles: – Quality – Impact – Independence

ESRC’s budget

▶ ESRC budget 2011/12 approx. £203m ▶Comprehensive Spending Review 2010

– 12% cut in real terms to Programme budget – 23% cut in real terms to Administration budget

▶ Important to continue to invest in the future: – Research areas of major (inter)national importance – Long-term infrastructure – Next generation of research leaders

Distribution of ESRC Funding 2011/12 International, £4m

(2%)

Administration & Programme

Management, £13m (6%)

Responsive Research, £49m

(24%)

Methods & Infrastructure, £30m (14%)

Strategic & Collaborative

Research, £53m (25%)

Training & Skills, £54m (26%)

Knowledge Exchange, £6m

(3%)

Strategic Priorities

Economic and Societal Impact

▶ ESRC does excellent research with impact ▶ Creating, assessing and communicating impact is

central to all our activities – Pathways to impact – Impact Toolkit

▶ Research Excellence Framework (20%)

Ensuring our students develop the skills needed to be able to maximise the potential impact of their current and future research

The Priorities ▶ 3 Priorities

– Economic Performance and Sustainable Growth – Influencing Behaviour and Informing Interventions – A Vibrant and Fair Society

▶ To be delivered through – Enhancing impact from existing investments – Encouraging investments to work together – And, only exceptionally, new investments

▶ To be refreshed annually

DTCs are helping to build capacity in priority areas (e.g. macro and behavioural economics)

Economic Performance and Sustainable Growth ▶What are the determinants of economic

performance and sustainable growth? ▶How to secure benefits for populations? ▶How to improve stability and resilience of

economies?

Influencing Behaviour and Informing Interventions ▶How to understand behaviour and risks at

multiple levels and settings?

▶How and why do behaviours change?

▶How does the interplay of childhood, family, community and wider society influence inequalities in wellbeing?

A Vibrant and Fair Society

▶What are inclusive communities and how best can we achieve them?

▶How do individuals and communities most effectively make their voices heard?

▶How mobile is our society?

Funding Opportunities

Simpler but more coherent set of opportunities

Research Career

EARLY SENIOR

Fund

ing

Amou

nt

200k

2m

5m+

Centres and Large Grants (early career researchers involved through grant linked studentships etc rather than as Principal Investigator)

Datasets and Data Services

Research GrantsOpen Research Area

International Bi-lateralsProfessorial Fellowships

Future Research Leaders

PhD (through

DTCs)

Secondary Data Analysis Initiative

Knowledge Exchange & Follow-on Funding Seminars & International Networking

Investing in the Future

National Capability

▶ Providing support across all stages of the career ▶ Establishment of the Doctoral Training Centres Network ▶ Opportunities for early and mid-career through Future

Research Leaders and Research Grants ▶ Opportunities for senior and established researchers

through Professorial Fellowships and larger schemes ▶ Opportunities for all researchers through ESRC grants

schemes, and training through NCRM and RDI

Building capacity from PhD onwards

Doctoral Training Centres

▶ 21 DTCs – our main capacity building vehicle ▶ First cohorts started in October 2011 ▶ 645 awards made ▶ First and Final Year Conferences for ESRC PhD students ▶ Tailored initiatives to:

– concentrate studentships in strategic areas e.g. AQM and economics – expand collaboration with public, private and Civil Society organisations through

internships and collaborative activities – develop an Advanced Training Network – utilise and build upon existing or emerging international links

DTC training is only part of the story

Advanced Training Network

▶ Integrated network of advanced training for all postgraduate researchers, not only those funded by ESRC

▶ Currently mapping provision across the DTC network, the NCRM and the RDI

▶ Consultation (May to July 2012) to identify gaps in provision; additional training commissioned Autumn 2012

▶ All postgraduate researchers can register for any of these courses, at a maximum cost of £30 per day

More advanced PhD training than ever before

Research Infrastructure

Investing in research infrastructure ▶ The issue: how do we ensure a strong infrastructure as a

core resource for social science? – ESRC supports some of the world’s leading studies (annual

investment of £20m +) – Underpins research and training, and provides evidence to both

academic and non-academic researchers – Only ESRC supports such large, long-term investments –

longitudinal ‘jewels’ appreciate in value

DTCs have a critical role in ensuring that the next generation of social scientists have the skills to exploit the rich and unique data sets we have

▶ Understanding Society (USoc) ▶ Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) ▶ National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) ▶ European Social Survey (ESS) ▶ Economic and Social Data Service (ESDS) ▶ Secure Data Service (SDS) ▶ Census Programme ▶ Birth Cohort Study and Cohort Resources Facility ▶ Administrative and other transactional data A rich resource and source of research topics for PhD

students

Major investments

ESRC Collaboration and Partnerships

Impact through partnerships ▶ Collaboration with private, public and third-sector bodies

through co-funding of research and people exchange – ESRC attracts £23m of additional co-funding from government

departments, civil society and international bodies – Co-production ensures research is better placed to inform policy and

practice ▶ Private sector prioritised for increased engagement and co-

funding – Focus initially on financial services, green business and retail – ESRC-led partnerships, as well as drawing on our existing investments –

making what we already fund more accessible to business

Partnership and research collaborations between our postgraduate students and non-academic bodies ensure future leaders are well positioned to make impact with their research

International collaboration ▶ The issue: why engage internationally?

– Social and economic problems transcend national borders e.g. climate change, global economic crisis, security, population change

– Requires global research effort – UK has world-leading expertise – Engagement with Europe – Horizon 2020 – Increasing importance of emerging science nations (China, India, Brazil,

South Africa) – New technologies facilitate international collaboration – Want the best to work with the best – Maximise the impact of our research

▶ Overseas Institutional Visits (OIVs) and PhD Partnering Working with DTCs to ensure the next generation of social

scientists have the links and networks to work and compete internationally

Further Information

▶ Information on all our opportunities, for PhD students and researchers

www.esrc.ac.uk

▶ Corporate Publications – Annual Report and Accounts – Strategic Plan 2009-2014 – Delivery Plan 2011-15 – ESRC at a glance 2012

▶ Magazines and Newsletters – Society Now – Evidence Briefings – Britain In magazine (2011 won

2nd prize in International Content Marketing Awards)

– e-News

Publications