ESRC U pdate

1. ESRC Update Professor Paul Boyle, Chief Executive, ESRC

2. Introduction

3. ESRC • The major public sector funder of social science research and post graduate training in the UK • Non-Departmental Public Body, established in 1965, largely funded through the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) • Key Principles: • Quality • Impact • Independence

4. Economic and Societal Impact • ESRC supports excellent research that has impact • Creating, assessing and communicating impact is central to all our activities • Pathways to impact • Impact toolkit • Research Excellence Framework (20% for impact)

5. Distribution of ESRC Funding 2011/12

6. Funding • Budget for 2012/13 is £200m (BIS allocation of £179m) • CSR 2010 • 2% cut in real terms to Programme budget • 23% cut in real terms to Administration budget • Need to continue to make strong arguments for social science research in the next CSR • Importance of continuing to invest in the future: • Long-term infrastructure • Next generation of research leaders • Research areas of major national importance

7. ESRC Funding Opportunities

8. International Collaboration • Embed international in all we do • International Co-Investigators • Work with European partners • Open Research Area (ESRC, NOW, DFG, ANR – now NSF) • Strengthen collaborations with key partner countries – 3 RCUK teams (US, India and China) • Influence Horizon 2020 • Ensure social scientists contribute to all societal challenges • Extend our successful partnerships with DfID

9. 7 Research Councils and RCUK

10. RCUK Programmes • Social Science is embedded in all six cross-Council programmes • ESRC leads – Global Uncertainties

11. Partnerships and Collaboration • Collaboration with private, public and third-sector bodies through co-funding of research and people exchange • Attract around £20m of additional co-funding each year • 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

12. Refreshing the Strategic Priorities

13. 2011 Delivery Plan • Economic Performance and Sustainable Growth • Influencing Behaviour and Informing Interventions • Vibrant and Fair Society • Contributions to all 6 RCUK challenges and TSB • Building social science capability Refresh February 2013 • What have we achieved and which gaps need to be filled? • How can we respond to urgent but unpredictable scientific opportunities?

14. Economic Performance and Sustainable Growth In 2011 Council committed to making new investments in: Entrepreneurship - Achieved as Enterprise Research Centre; BIS, BBA, ESRC £2.9 m, lead: University of Warwick Rising Powers - Achieved as third phase of Rising Powers Programme £6m, 12 projects Macro-economics - Achieved as Centre for Macroeconomics, £3.9 m lead: LSE (also international symposium) Risk - Achieved as Systemic Risk Centre, £3.8 m lead: LSE and Centre for Study of Risk and Ambiguity £3.4 m lead: Exeter Global distribution of -Achieved as ESRC/DFID growth programme, Economic Performance Venture, £9.9 m, 18 projects 5 of 5 targets met

15. Expenditure across ESRC’s portfolio 13

16. Expenditure across ESRC’s portfolio 15

17. Putting it Together 24

18. Capacity Building

19. National Capability • Providing support across all stages of the career • Opportunities for early and mid-career • Doctoral Training Centres • Future Research Leaders and Research Grants • Opportunities for senior and established researchers • Professorial Fellowships and larger schemes • Opportunities for all researchers through ESRC grants schemes, and training through NCRM and RDI

20. Doctoral Training Centres • 21 DTCs – our main capacity building vehicle • First cohorts started in October 2011 • 645 awards made in year 1, and 753 in year 2 • 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 • Utilise and build upon existing or emerging international links • Develop an Advanced Training Network

21. Advanced Training Network • Integrated network of advanced training for allpostgraduate researchers, not only those funded by ESRC • Consultation to identify gaps in provision • Additional training commissioned later in the year • All postgraduate researchers can register for any of these courses, at a maximum cost of £30 per day

22. DTC Lessons Learned • Training and Skills Committee is currently carrying out a ‘lessons learned’ exercise • ESRC expects studentships to be awarded on the basis of excellence • Balance between +3 and 1+3 studentships • Success of securing co-funding • Progress on these matters will be considered when decisions around re-commissioning are being made • ESRC encourages DTC Directors to work together to develop best practice

23. Infrastructure

24. UK Strategy for Data Resources for Social and Economic Research • The ‘national data strategy’ was first published in 2007, updated in 2009, and being refreshed for 2013 • Owned by the UK Data Forum • Priorities and recommendations include: • Improved data linkage • Develop partnerships and collaborative work • Explore customer databases and international partnerships • ESRC Data infrastructure led by the new UK Data Service (UKDS) • Access to census and other datasets and a new website

25. Capital Funding • Chancellor’s Autumn Statement included £600m for science, research and innovation, £484m for RCUK • Funds to support the development of innovative technologies across eight areas, including ‘big data’ • Draws from RCUK Strategic Framework for Capital Investment (published Nov 2012) • ESRC earmarked £64m to support packages of activity within the ‘big data’ theme

26. Administrative Data Taskforce • Jointly established by the ESRC, MRC, Wellcome Trust, chaired by Sir Alan Langlands • 5 recommendations • Administrative Data Research Centres (ADRCs) should be established in each country of the UK • Legislation should be enacted to facilitate research access to administrative data (generic legal gateway) • Researcher accreditation process and training • Strategy for engaging with the public • Funds to support access to and linkage between data

27. Business Datasafe • National resource for analysing business dynamics, drawing upon a wide range of previously unavailable and disparate data sources • From organisational surveys to customer databases(e.g. store cards, utilities data, banking transactions, mortgage details, etc.) • Enable new analysis that informs broad understanding of economic growth, organisational efficiency, productivity, employment relations, organisational finance, investment, health and wellbeing at the workplace…..

28. Understanding Populations • Opportunities to capitalise on existing data assets • ESRC funds world leading longitudinal studies: • British Household Panel Study & Understanding Society • English Longitudinal Study, Scottish LS & N. Ireland LS • Birth cohorts (1958, 1970, Millennium Cohort) and Life Study • English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and other ageing studies • Further collection of a wide variety of biomarkers and the genotyping of existing DNA samples

29. Social Media Research • Social media is distinctive in capturing user-generated data from populations • Social media analytics represent an opportunity to invest in large scale social research • A Centre comprising a network of nodes across participating countries, with a coordinating hub • Workshop in May 2013 to discuss Centre structure and aims/objectives • Call likely to be announced in September 2013

30. New Schemes

31. Building QM Capacity • £15.5 million funding programme with Nuffield Foundation and HEFCE • Promoting a step-change in quantitative methods training for UK social science undergraduates • Centres of excellence that will provide cohorts of students capable of filling the quantitative skills gap among postgraduates • Possibility of new 4-year social science degrees

32. The Future of the UK and Scotland • Objective evidence on the effects of Scottish independence • Phase 1 • 7 one-year Professorial Fellowships • 10 research projects based at major ESRC investments • Conference event, May 2013, to inform the debate • Research Coordinator • Phase 2 • Potential research initiative, examining medium term impacts

33. What Works • National, co-ordinated initiative that seeks to strengthen the use of evidence for policy and practice • Worked with Cabinet Office to establish ‘What Works’ centres • Local economic growth (call opens March 25th) • Ageing • Crime and policing • Re-offending • Early intervention (Education Endowment Foundation)

34. Transformative Research • ESRC-funded research tends to be incremental • Want to encourage greater innovation – next big ‘transformative’ ideas in social science • ROs receiving over £100k of ESRC funding, 2011/12 • 66 applications; panel shortlisted 32 • ‘Pitch to Peers’ workshop (March) • Supporting 20 awards, from June 2013 • Re-launching the transformative potential of existing schemes

35. Engaging with Retail • ESRC is continuing to increase its engagement with retail sector • Retail Navigators – Nottingham Business School • Facilitating better communication between social science researchers and retailers • Data Navigators – Demographic Decisions Ltd • Data infrastructure of mutual interest to researchers and retailers (e.g. store card data)

36. Impact Prize • Annual prize (£10,000) for achieving economic /societal impact • Business • Public Policy • Society • International • Early Career • Impact Champion of the Year • 2 applications have been shortlisted in each category

37. Large Grants and Centres • Call due to be launched shortly • Likely to fund up to 8 awards – more than ever before • Total budget likely to be doubled to £10 million • We want to see: • Ambitious bids • Improved quality bids • More cross-institutional bids, bringing the very best together

38. ‘Priority Networks’ • Mechanism for Centre/Large Grant applications • Small group of projects • Usually with existing relationships between researchers • Coordinator selected from within the group • Evaluation show strengths include high levels of collaboration and coordination • Recent example: ‘Network for Integrated Behavioural Science’ (Nottingham, Warwick and UEA) • Scale: not ‘scattergun’ large Programme approach

39. Other Funding Opportunities • EU Joint Programme - Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) • Coordinator for the Retail Sector Initiative • Strategic Advisors for Data Resources • DFID-ESRC Growth Research Programme - call 2 • Retail Knowledge Exchange Opportunities • UK Drought and Water Scarcity (NERC website) • Digging into Data round 3

40. Operational Issues

41. Demand Management • Over last five years we have seen a 33% increase in the number of applications • No additional funding available leading to fall in success rates (research grants scheme 13%) • Burden on researchers, reviewers, universities and the ESRC • We expect to see individuals and HEIs demonstrate that they are improving self-regulation

42. Demand Management • To help meet these expectations we have… • Provision of performance data to individuals and institutions • Developed good practice guidelines • Invited-only resubmissions policy with associated guidance • Reduced external peer review burden (greater use of outline applications; reduced referee thresholds) • More tightly specified calls on managed mode schemes (e.g. Centres and Large Grants competition) • RCUK harmonising demand management measures

43. Demand Management Progress • Results include: • 37% drop in application volume • Increasein overall success rates from 17% to 24% • Signsof improvements in the quality of applications • Reductionof around 20% in peer review requirements

44. Open Access • RCUK policy on Open Access from 1st April • RCUK definition of Open Access • Peer reviewed papers that acknowledge RC funding • Gold preferred, but green (6 / 12 months) also supported • CC-BY license • Additional funding (£10m + £17m year 1) to support this activity • Journey, not an event (5 years) • Part of an international revolution

45. Open Access

46. Triennial Review • Review of the Research Councils, conducted by BIS, taking place over 6 months from January 2013 • Two stage review process • Stage 1 (Jan–March): Assess the need for Research Councils • Stage 2 (Apr–June): Examine RC structure and governance • Consultation of a wide range of stakeholders, on • How structure contributes to delivery of functions • Relationship between RCs and other stakeholders • Relationship between RCs and ‘customers’

47. Communication Highlights • May 2012, over 1286 ESRC-related media stories • Twitter followers increased 200% to over 6,000 from 2,000 in 2011 • ESRC videos viewed over 9,000 times in 2011, from 830 in 2010 • Britain In magazine (2011 won 2nd prize in International Content Marketing Awards)

48. ESRC’s Contacts • Committees/Council Secretaries: • Nigel Bird, Audit Committee nigel.bird@esrc.ac.uk • Vicki Crossley, Council vicki.crossley@esrc.ac.ukac.uk • Vicki Crossley, Evaluation Committee vicki.crossley@esrc.ac.ukac.uk • Paul Meller, Methods and Infrastructure Committee paul.meller@esrc.ac.uk • Michelle Dodson, Research Committee michelle.dodson@esrc.ac.uk • Dawn Woodgate, Training and Skills Committee dawn.woodgate@esrc.ac.uk