Research Councils UK
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TSB, UKSA | |
Budget | £3,000m |
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Website | www |
Research Councils UK, sometimes known as RCUK, was a
Function
The role of the RCUK was to:
- Enabling dialogue about research priorities by facilitating an open and collective approach to investing in multidisciplinaryresearch and training
- Facilitating cooperation between the research councils and external stakeholders by promoting dialogue, collaboration, and partnership
- Communicating the activities and views of the research councils to increase policy influence and collective visibility
- Collaborating with academia and other funders to reduce bureaucratic tape for researchers and university administrators
- Improving operational performance by sharing best practices
Each of the research councils is an equal partner in RCUK, and each uses its best endeavours to identify and pursue opportunities for mutually-beneficial joint working with one or more of the other research councils.
Organisation
Each research council is a non-departmental public body incorporated by royal charter. Each is governed by its own governing council comprising a mix of academic and non-academic members, appointed by the Secretary for Innovation, Universities and Skills following a public nomination. The councils receive public funds from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and each reports annually to the British Parliament. In 2008 the combined annual budget was £3.5 billion, of which over £1 billion went to research grants and training at universities. This is one element of the UK's dual system of research funding, the other being block grants provided by the UK Funding Councils for higher education.
Research Council grants support around 50,000 researchers through 18,000 grants at any one time. About 8,000 PhDs are awarded annually as a result of their funding.
The Councils directly employ around 13,000 staff, 9,000 of whom are researchers and technicians at institutes such as the
Research council funding decisions are guided by the Haldane Principle, the idea that decisions are best made by researchers independently from government. Research council funding competitions use open peer review.
Councils
There are seven research councils:
Research council | Formation | Website |
---|---|---|
Arts and Humanities Research Council | 2005 | AHRC Website |
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council | 1994 | BBSRC website |
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council | 1994 | EPSRC website |
Economic and Social Research Council | 1965 | ESRC website |
Medical Research Council
|
1913 | MRC website |
Natural Environment Research Council | 1965 | NERC website |
Science and Technology Facilities Council | 2007 | STFC website |
The
In 2007 the government raised the status of the
History
Government funding of science in the United Kingdom began in 1675 when the Royal Observatory was established in Greenwich. This trend continued in the 19th century with the creation of the British Geological Survey in 1832, and the allocation of funds in 1850 to the Royal Society to award individual grants.
By the
In 1918
Following the Haldane Report's recommendations, a
In 1931 the
In 1949 Nature Conservancy was established as a research council in all but name. The National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) was also created to provide financial assistance for the development of inventions.
In 1957 the National Institute for Research in Nuclear Science (NIRNS) was formed to operate the Rutherford High Energy Laboratory, and in 1962 the Daresbury Laboratory.
By 1964 there were 14,150 science and engineering graduates in the UK, up from 7,688 in 1955, and annual civil and military research expenditure had risen from £0.6 million in 1913 to £10 million in 1939 to £76 million in 1964.
After the
Under the control of the
Also founded in 1965 was the Social Sciences Research Council (later the ESRC) bringing the number of Research Councils to five—Medicine, Agriculture, Natural Environment, Science, and Social Science—divided by disciplines that were not expected to collaborate.
In 1981, the emphasis in policy on innovation rather than
In 1983 the ARC also changed its focus to outputs rather than methods to become the Agricultural and Food Research Council (AFRC).
From 1992 the Research Councils reported to the Office of Science and Technology in the Cabinet Office as the making of government departmental policy by the Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser was merged with the making of national science policy by the Science Branch of the Department of Education and Science.
SERC struggled to combine three incompatible business models—administratively efficient short-term grant distribution, medium-term commitments to international agreements, and long-term commitments to staff and facilities. Given a lack of control over
In 1994 SERC finally split into the EPSRC and PPARC to further separate innovation-orientated engineering from pure research into particle physics and astronomy.[11] In 1995, the CCLRC was spun out of the EPSRC, dividing responsibility for laboratories from those for the allocation of university research grants.[12]
At the same time the biological science activities of SERC were merged with the AFRC to form the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
From 1995 the research councils reported to the Office of Science and Technology in the Department of Trade and Industry as government science policy became more linked to industrial policy.
In 2002 Research Councils UK was created as a secretariat in order to bring together the research councils at a higher level to work together more effectively.
In 2005 the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) was established in order to bring research funding in the arts and humanities into line with that for other disciplines. It was created from the former Arts and Humanities Research Board, which had been managed by the British Academy since 1998.
From 2006 the research councils reported to the Office of Science and "Innovation" instead of "Technology", as the policy focus switched from technology objects to innovation process, although it was still within the Department of Trade and Industry.
In April 2007 PPARC and CCLRC were combined to form the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) to create a single research council which provides access for UK scientists to national and international research facilities.[13][14]
From June 2007 the research councils reported to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills as the making of innovation policy was merged with the making of policy for universities and skills training, and separated from industrial policy under the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
In 2008 RCUK Shared Services Centre Ltd (SSC) was created as a separate company to share administrative duties and cut costs.
From June 2009 the research councils reported to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as the making of higher education and innovation policy (from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills) was merged back with business policy making (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform).
See also
- Arts and Humanities Research Council
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- Economic and Social Research Council
- Medical Research Council
- Natural Environment Research Council
- Science and Technology Facilities Council
References
- ^ "Research Councils UK annual review - Research Councils UK". Research Councils UK. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
- ^ "Governance - Research Councils UK". Research Councils UK. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
- ^ "UKRO Home". UK Research Office Brussels.
- ^ "UKRI China". UK Research and Innovation. 4 June 2021.
- ^ "UKRI North America". UK Research and Innovation. 23 October 2020.
- ^ "UKRI India". UK Research and Innovation. 2 July 2021.
- ^ Policy, History &. "The 'Haldane Principle' and other invented traditions in science policy". Retrieved 22 January 2017.
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has generic name (help) - ^ ISBN 9780719007910. Retrieved 22 January 2017 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Trend Committee (Report) (Hansard, 19 November 1963)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 19 November 1963. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
- ^ Hansard HC Deb, 9 December 1964, vol 703 cols 1553–1686
- ^ "The Research Councils, (Transfer of Property etc) Order 1994". Office of Public Sector Information. 5 Mar 1994. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ "The Research Councils, (Transfer of Property etc) Order 1995". Office of Public Sector Information. 3 Mar 1995. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ "The Science and Technology Facilities Council Order 2007" (PDF). Office of Public Sector Information. 7 Feb 2007. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ "The Research Councils, (Transfer of Property etc) Order 2007" (PDF). Office of Public Sector Information. 8 Mar 2007. Retrieved 2009-06-06.