ALL EPSRC VISITS EPSRC plans and priorities 1

ALL EPSRC VISITS EPSRC plans and priorities 1

ENERGY EPSRC lead BBSRC ESRC NERC STFC DIGITAL ECONOMY EPSRC lead AHRC ESRC MRC 2 RESPONDING TO GLOBAL CHALLENGES NANOSCIENCE THROUGH ENGINEERING TO APPLICATION EPSRC lead BBSRC ESRC NERC STFC MRC LIVING WITH ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE EPSRC BBSRC ESRC NERC lead STFC MRC AGEING: AHRC GLOBAL THREATS TO SECURITY EPSRC BBSRC ESRC lead NERC STFC MRC AHRC LIFE LONG HEALTH & WELLBEING EPSRC BBSRC ESRC NERC STFC MRC lead AHRC

EPSRC 2004 -05 to 2010 -11 EXPENDITURE £ 1, 000 M Budget Full economic costs £ 795 M £ 815 M £ 843 M Plans include: £ 800 M • Our priority themes £ 600 M • ETI £ 400 M • Target for TSB collaboration £ 200 M £ 0 M 3 • RCUK priority themes 2004 -05 2005 -06 2006 -07 2007 -08 2008 -09 2009 -10 2010 -11

THE EPSRC CONTEXT EPSRC Delivery Plan 2008/09 to 2010/11 November 2007 Polaris House North Star Avenue Swindon, SN 2 1 ET 01793 444000 www. epsrc. ac. uk 4

EPSRC GOALS 2008 -11 • Increase focus on the key challenges for society • Encourage even more ambitious and transformative research in a healthy research base • Attract and nurture talented and skilled people • Work with all partners to more effectively translate/understand how research can contribute to solving the challenges facing society • Realign our own internal organisation to deliver our goals most effectively 5

THE WHOLE EPSRC PICTURE Living with environmental change (£ 9 M) Global threats to security (£ 6 M) Ageing: life-long health and wellbeing (£ 11 M) Values are commitment 2008 -11 6

THE NEW EPSRC ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE RESEARCH BASE Mathematical Sciences Process, Environment & Sustainability Materials, Mechanical & Medical Engineering Programmes Cross-Disciplinary Interfaces Public Engagement Physical Sciences Research Infrastructure & International 7 Information & Communications Technology

THE NEW EPSRC ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE Programmes Energy Digital Economy Nanoscience through Engineering to Application Towards Next Generation Healthcare User led Knowledge and Skills User led Research 8 BUSINESS INNOVATION

ESSENTIAL PLATFORM FOR A HEALTHY RESEARCH BASE Longer term international quality research to provide a vibrant and sustainable research environment able to respond to future challenges Key strategies: • Supporting transformative research • Community-led challenges • More ambitious and flexible programmes of research for leading edge groups • Signposting strategic areas • Encouraging user collaboration 9

SECURING THE FUTURE SUPPLY OF PEOPLE Supporting talented people at all stages of their careers to ensure the UK has the people to support a healthy research base and economy Key strategies: • Increased use of centre based approaches to align with strategy and to strengthen the international competitiveness of UK Ph. D • Restructured fellowship scheme and alignment in part with focused themes • Meeting users’ training needs • Attracting the next generation of researchers • Early stage career support 10

TOWARDS BETTER EXPLOITATION An emphasis on excellence with impact and the importance of people, to achieve the vision: “for the UK to be equally renowned for KT and innovation as it is for research discovery” Key strategies: • Increase business-focused skills development/postgraduate training • Accelerating the exploitation of research outputs to enhance business pull and address societal grand challenges 11

WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP 12

KNOWLEDGE AND THE MARKET PLACE Discovery Invent Application Understand Adapt/Integrate Validate Deploy EPSRC ETI, TSB and other KT stakeholders HEIF Industry and business Universities Initiation 13 Timescale to market in years; typically 5 -20 Exploitation

CONCLUSIONS • • All research disciplines have an important role to play in these themes • The largest proportion of our budget is spend on investigator-led research and training • We want to encourage researchers to be more ambitious • Need for us all to demonstrate the wider impact of science and engineering research on society and the economy • 14 The major feature of our plans is the identification of key priority themes addressing important societal challenges As a framework university you are a key stakeholder - we need to work together align our strategies

ISSUES FOR DISCUSSION • • How can we work together to demonstrate impact? Ø Of additional FEC funding? Ø Of science and engineering research on society? • 15 How can you help us realise these goals? Ø Focus on the key challenges? Ø More ambitious research? Ø Reviewers? What are the major drivers/forces you are considering as you develop your strategy?