Lab Group Round TableSustainable Funding Models

4th May 2006Gary Grubb, Associate Director,

Research, Training and Development Directorate, ESRC

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

ESRC’S NEW STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

Three guiding principles:1) Quality: Funding research and training of the highest quality by world standards; peer and merit review of research2) Relevance: Focusing on areas of major scientific & national importance3) Independence: Ensuring independence from political, commercial or sectional interests

Facts and figures (2004/05)

£85m invested in research £31m invested in training At any one time, the ESRC supports:

– 2,200 doctoral students– 800 grants and fellowships– 350 projects within our 20-30 managed programmes– 30 large scale research and resource centres

Over 120 institutions carry out research with ESRC funds

NEW STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK

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

Addressing key research challenges relating to ‘living in Britain today’ and ‘Britain in the wider world’

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

ESRC Approach to Funding Research Reducing barriers to high quality research Science First, Mode Second

Mode depends on:- Science need (e.g. key research questions, type of

research, data & resource needs, single, multi or inter-disciplinary)

- Current capacity (e.g. concentrated or distributed, other initiatives in field)

- Other aims (e.g. capacity building, international collaboration, partnership, stakeholder engagement and knowledge transfer)

Different modes have different strengths and may be appropriate in different areas or to meet different aims

How ESRC Funds Research

Responsive mode:- Small Grants (£15k-£100k FEC) (Open Date)- Standard Grants (£100k-£1.5m FEC) (Open Date)- Large Grants (£1.5m - £5m FEC) (Annual)- Post-Doc & Standard Fellowships (Open date)- Professorial Fellowships (Biennial)- Seminars competition (annual)- New initiative – highlight notice on society, social

behaviour and neurosciences with MRC

How ESRC Funds ResearchDirective Mode: Concentrated: Research Centres and Groups Distributed: Research Programme, Focused

Initiative, Research Network Mixed model- e.g. virtual centre, hub and spokes Collaborative funding – using a variety of modelsCapacity Building: Resource Centres and Programmes, Capacity

Clusters, Researcher Development Initiative Capacity Building under Programmes / Initiatives:

e.g. linked studentships, scoping studies, capacity building, development awards

Examples of Successful Funding Modes: Research Centres

ESRC Research Centres- 10 years funding, second 5 years subject to mid-

term review, longer term research programme agenda.

- After 10 years may compete for further 5 years of funding.

- Usually single site, occasionally split slit, some operate networks, fellowship programme.

- Normally annual competition, may be open, open with a highlight or focussed.

- Groups – smaller 5-year investments.

Examples of Funding Modes: Centres

Advantages Long term programme but flexibility to adapt Leadership of single director Focus for stakeholder engagement (co-funding

potential) and international collaboration Development of research capacity (studentships /

careers etc) and inter-disciplinarity in one siteIssues: Drawing on expertise and alternative perspectives /

approaches outside the core institution(s); Broader capacity building amongst rest of

community

Examples of Funding Modes: Centres

Examples of Centres: CREDIT- Centre for Research in Development,

Instruction & Training, University of Nottingham, Dir: Prof David Wood, 1992-2002, c£5m fed into new Learning Sciences Research Institute http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/lsri/

SKOPE: Centre for Skills Knowledge and Organisational Performance, Univ of Oxford & Warwick, Dir: Ken Mayhew, 1998-2008, c£4.5m http://www.skope.ox.ac.uk/

DCAL: Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre, UCL 2005-2015, Dir: Prof Bencie Wall http://www.dcal.ucl.ac.uk/

Examples of Successful Funding Modes: Programmes and Networks

Programme: Collection of individual projects (often 20+) commissioned against a publicised specification, typically 5 years, sometimes with more than one phase of commissioning (typically£5+m). Director usually appointed to lead and co-ordinate.

Network: Applications comprise a cluster of linked projects from say 3-5 institutions/teams with an identified co-ordinator from within the consortium.

Focused Initiative: typically 3-8 substantial separate projects commissioned to a tightly focused specification, co-ordinator appointed from one of the teams, typically £3-5m

Examples of Funding Modes: Programmes and Networks

Advantages Draw on best expertise and different perspectives

and approaches across the UK to address key issues mobilising the community brings in range of stakeholder contacts Issues Achieving synergy and coherence from disparate

projects Long-terms sustainability beyond project funding Responsiveness when projects selected Management of individual projects to achieve

common aims

Examples of Funding Modes: Programmes and Networks

Examples of Programmes / Networks: People at Centre of Communication and

Information Technologies (PACCIT) Dir: Prof. Anne Anderson, Univ of Glasgow (joint with EPSRC and DTI LINK) 1999-2006, c£8m, 30 projects over 3 phases (2 LINK phases) http://www.paccit.gla.ac.uk/

Teaching and Learning Research Programme (TLRP) £38m, 10+ years (HEFCE, DfES, Devolved Administrations, ESRC, EPSRC). http://www.tlrp.org/

- First phase 4 research networks, later phases large research projects, extension projects also fellowships, thematic seminars, capacity building initiatives.

Teaching and Learning Research ProgrammeTechnology Enhanced Learning Call

(ESRC/EPSRC) Acting Associate Directors Team – Assoc/Deputy

Director to be appointed following commissioning of first call

First call (£6m)- Four strategic research challenges- Outline proposal for 3-5 large projects £0.5m to

£1.5m FEC- Full proposals capacity building / development

awards up to £15k-£60k FEC, 6 months Second call planned for 2007