Steve MorganAssociate Director for Research, Training and

Development

Hewlett Foundation/Population Reference Bureau Conference; London 02.11.2006

ESRC STRATEGIC PLAN 2005-2010

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

Our principles

Quality Relevance Independence

Quality Funding research and training of the highest quality by world standards

Relevance Focusing on areas of major national importance and key policy areas

Independence Ensuring independence from political, commercial or sectional interests

FRAMEWORK

Four broad but integrated categories of activities:

ResearchCapacity

Engagement

Performance

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

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

HEWLETT/ESRC Scheme – An example

- Still under discussion and subject to formal approval by ESRC and clarification of legal issues by Hewlett;

- Target date for formal launch is January 2007;- ESRC will be the implementing agent;- Scheme will require high Quality research with Impact on the

issue of economic development, poverty reduction and population dynamics/ reproductive health;

- Reconciles substantive research and capacity building in one scheme;

- Will cover UK, European and African research teams – with lead applicants from UK or Africa;

- Will encourage all appropriate disciplines to participate.

HEWLETT-ESRC Scheme

Research Projects but allows and encourages Capacity Building

Focus is on innovative research that will add new insights and understanding to the global social science knowledge base.

Also recognises that capacity is a problem in some developing country contexts – HENCE scheme encourages human capacity and technical capacity issues to be addressed.

HEWLETT-ESRC Scheme

Research Focus:Scheme will address relationship between economic

development and poverty reduction on the one hand, and population dynamics and reproductive health matters.

Will include a challenge for the research community to address the difficult issue of causality.

HEWLETT-ESRC Scheme

Capacity Building covers:Development and exploitation of new datasets (with

attention to long-term sustainability beyond project life)

New Methodological developmentsHuman capacity – Doctoral students, Visiting Fellows,

Professorial Fellowships

HEWLETT-ESRC Scheme

Both sponsors want to see impact from the projects;Requires projects to have an appropriate engagement

strategy with all stakeholders;Recognises that knowledge pathways are dynamic and

operate during lifetime of a project;Not just “end-of-pipe”

HEWLETT-ESRC Scheme

Hewlett is a private US Foundation and can fund anywhere in the world.

Hence: Hewlett involvement means we can fund anyone anywhere in the world – do not need a UK partner.

Focus for this scheme is UK, Africa and Europe, though European involvement will be as co-applicants to UK- or African-led team

ESRC-DFID Scheme – Another Example

Two calls to date:International peer review and panel

Around £4million allocated to 9 projects in February 2006

Around £3million allocated to 14 projects in Sept 06

28 large-scale projects shortlisted to submit full applications

Science for Development

Key time for research relevant to development

Research agencies looking at what they fund, how and why

Recognise that need to learn from each other, seek synergies and watch for duplication

Development agencies that fund research are assessing what they do, how and why

My reflections on the future

Research landscape is characterised by multiple actors and fragmentation - Need to work together

Need to triangulate research funders with aid agencies and with research community

Need to ensure that the best of social sciences contribute to the debates on an equal footing in all parts of the world – need to break “ghettoisation”

My reflections on future

Like many, I believe the time is right for a re-conceptualisation of the terms “development” and “development research”, etc

All subjects need to reflect on their entry point into the issues – need to move on from previous agendas

Terminology needs to be addressed; eg “development” has colonial roots and term subliminally suggests dependence – fosters an “us and them” mentality

Should think in terms of a “global us” and in terms of mutual concern for mutual issues

Sense of déjà vu with the global environmental agenda in ’90s

My reflections (contd)

Geographical focus based on national boundaries is breaking down

Poverty exists all over the world – emerging economies like China and India are breaking the national paradigm

Greater focus on topics and issuesGreater focus at both the local (participation of

peoples) and also at the regional (eg, South Asia, West Africa, etc)

Some big challenges

Reconciling environmental and development agendas

Understanding the economic and social drivers of change and transformation at the household, local, national and international levels

Developing a new paradigm that recognises the growing interdependencies of peoples and systems

New models for assessing relevance and impact of research and development aid

Steve MorganAssociate Director for Research,

Training and Development

steve.morgan@esrc.ac.uk