Education Funding – ESRC Perspective
Professor Paul Boyle, Chief Executive ESRC, RCUK International
Champion
ESRC in Context
▶ Non-Departmental Public Body, established in 1965,
largely funded through the Department of Business
Innovation and Skills (BIS)
▶ The major public sector funder of social science
research and post graduate training in the UK
▶ Key Principles:
– Quality
– Impact
– Independence
ESRC Funding
▶ Total budget for 2013/14 is
£204m (BIS allocation of
£181m)
▶ CSR 2010:
- 2% cut in real terms to
Programme budget
- 23% cut in real terms to
Admin budget
Distribution of ESRC funding 2013/14
Funding Opportunities
▶ Schemes, competitions and initiatives to provide grants for
original research
▶ Centres and Large grants focused on key themes affecting
society and the economy
▶ Major capital resource for longitudinal and cross-sectional
studies
▶ Postgraduate funding
▶ Knowledge exchange opportunities - ESRC has recently
launched the Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAAs)
▶ Seminars series
Development of Strategic Priorities
▶ Strategic Priorities
– Economic Performance and Sustainable Growth
– Influencing Behaviour and Informing Interventions
– A Vibrant and Fair Society
To be reviewed regularly – ensure responsive to emerging questions in
each area.
Refreshed February 2013
▶ Assessed achievements to date and identified gaps to be filled
▶ Considered how we respond to urgent but unpredictable scientific
opportunities
Capability
Activities
Lead Committee
(plus support)
Evidence
Data infrastructure (‘Big Data’)
Building of supporting research infrastructure MIC
‘What Works’ Centres
Delivering evidence to inform policy
Council
Macro-economics
Capacity building, data
TSC (MIC)
Research
Research, data, international
Research, data, international,TSB
Research, international, capacity building,TSB
RC
RC (MIC)
RC (MIC)
RC (MIC,TSC)
Economic Performance and Sustainable
Growth
Business innovation
Financial Markets
Cities
Social Science of Environmental Change
Influencing Behaviour and Informing
Interventions
Epigenetics and Educational Neuroscience
Research, data, capacity building,TSB
Innovation in Health and Social Care
Research, international
Higher Education (UK and developing areas) Research
RC (MIC,TSC)
RC
RC
Fair and Vibrant Society
Civil Society and Social Innovation
Research, data, international, capacity building RC (MIC)
Social Media
The New Dynamics of Work
Research, data and methods
Research
MIC (RC)
RC
The Future of the UK in Europe
Research, data, international
Council
Capability
Activities
Lead Committee
(plus support)
Evidence
Data infrastructure (‘Big Data’)
Building of supporting research infrastructure MIC
‘What Works’ Centres
Delivering evidence to inform policy
Council
Macro-economics
Capacity building, data
TSC (MIC)
Research
Research, data, international
Research, data, international,TSB
Research, international, capacity building,TSB
RC
RC (MIC)
RC (MIC)
RC (MIC,TSC)
Economic Performance and Sustainable
Growth
Business innovation
Financial Markets
Cities
Social Science of Environmental Change
Influencing Behaviour and Informing
Interventions
Epigenetics and Educational Neuroscience
Research, data, capacity building,TSB
Innovation in Health and Social Care
Research, international
Higher Education (UK and developing areas) Research
RC (MIC,TSC)
RC
RC
Fair and Vibrant Society
Civil Society and Social Innovation
Research, data, international, capacity building RC (MIC)
Social Media
The New Dynamics of Work
Research, data and methods
Research
MIC (RC)
RC
The Future of the UK in Europe
Research, data, international
Council
Partnerships and Collaboration
▶ A fundamental shift towards a collaborative approach,
with partnership and co-funding at the heart of all
that we do:
– We attract £23m of additional co-funding from government departments,
private sector, civil society and international bodies
– Co-production ensures research is better placed to inform policy and
practice, increasing the likelihood of impact.
– Private sector prioritised for increased engagement and co-funding
▶ Increasingly viewed as partner of choice for
government departments and other organisations
– Longstanding partnership with DFID
– Work with Cabinet Office to establish ‘What Works’ network
ESRC’s Development Research Portfolio
Title:
Total Funding
Co-funders:
Start
date:
2005
2011
2014
2009
Joint Fund for Poverty Alleviation
Growth Research Programme- DEGRP
China and Africa research programme
Ecosystem Services for Poverty
Alleviation- ESPA
£62.9M
£20.9M
£4.5M
£40.5M
ESRC/DFID
DFID/ESRC
DFID/ESRC
NERC/DFID/ESRC
Population, reproductive health and
economic development (POPOV)
£2.9M
ESRC/Hewlett
Foundation
2012
Zoonoses and Emerging Livestock
Systems -ZELS
£19.5M
DFID/BBSRC/ESRC/
MRC/NERC/DSTL
2013
Unlocking the Potential of
Groundwater for the Poor (UPGro)
£12M
DFID/NERC/ESRC
2013
Health Systems Research
£15M
DFID/Wellcome/MRC/ 2013
ESRC
Education Systems Research
£20M
DFID/ESRC
2014
Examples of ESRC Funded Educational
Research
▶ Teaching and Learning Programme (TLRP) – ran from 19992009 totalling £30m
▶ Science and Mathematics Education (TISME) – research funded
in partnership with the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, The
Institute of Physics and the Association of Science Education
▶ Technology Enchanced Learning (TEL) is a ESRC/EPSRC
funded programme which has just concluded – research
ranging from early childhood development through schools
further and higher education as well as professional and
workplace learning
▶ Learning and Life Chances in Knowledge Economies and
Societies (ESRC Centre) investigates the role of lifelong
learning in promoting economic competitiveness and social
cohesion
ESRC Priorities related to Education
▶ Higher Education
– Research into a dynamic and broad area – in the UK and with
international comparison
– HE is an increasingly competitive and collaborative international
landscape with great potential for new research topics
▶ Education and Development
– Partnership with DFID to explore challenges and research
questions moving beyond access to education focus of Millennium
Development Goals (MDG2) to focus on raising learning
outcomes
Higher Education landscape – dynamic and
worthy of New Research?
▶ Introduction of fees
▶ Increasing numbers of overseas students
▶ Debates around widening participation
▶ New technologies including MOOCs
▶ Potential for changing funding models
▶ Challenges for graduates in the labour market
▶ Different country-specific models of delivery
Higher Education as an Emerging Priority
 In development – overarching theme The Future of
HE; how higher education is organised and funded,
and what it is for – its purpose and nature
 Including a series of interlinked and overlapping
potential research priorities – some clear relevance
to international development
 Planned activities under HE to be discussed at
forthcoming ESRC Research Committee
The Developing Research Programme
Five potential themes which are under discussion and
therefore may be subject to change –
▶ Organisation of HEIs and the HE system
▶ Equity in higher education participation
▶ Curriculum, pedagogy and modes of provision
▶ Higher education for the public good
▶ The academic labour market
ESRC-DFID Strategic Research Partnership
▶ To ESRC, International Development represents a
complex set of global societal challenges that must be
addressed through a broad range of cross-disciplinary
social science research
▶ DFID and ESRC co-fund initiatives when we identify
strong potential for both development impact and
cutting-edge science
▶ Collaborative research funding managed by a
dedicated International Development Research team
within ESRC
ESRC/DFID Education and Development:
Raising Learning Outcomes in Education Systems
▶ Will fund a portfolio of research on critical policy
areas currently constraining developing country
education systems from translating resources into
better learning outcomes for all
▶ Key aim is to provide policymakers and practitioners
with concrete ideas on how to improve learning
and understanding of how these will translate to their
specific context and institutions
ESRC/DFID Education and Development:
Raising Learning Outcomes in Education Systems
▶ Three key areas:
– How do interacting contextual dynamics enable or
inhibit the delivery of quality education in specific country
contexts?
– How do specific policies or interventions designed to
delivery quality education and learning for all interact with
these contextual dynamics, and with what impact within and
beyond the education system?
– How do we better understand, measure and evaluate
educational quality and learning outcomes in
development contexts?
ESRC/DFID Education and Development:
Raising Learning Outcomes in Education Systems
▶ £20 million to be awarded over three annual calls
▶ Each annual call will have a thematic focus
▶ First call of £5m focuses on ‘Effective Teaching’ and closes
25 March
▶ A range of levels of funding are available in the first call:
– Small grants: up to £150K on any topic within the scope of the
programme. 1 year duration.
– Medium grants: £200-500K for projects related to ‘Effective
teaching’. 2-3 years duration.
– Large grants: up to £1m for projects that will produce a
significant data resource with strong potential for secondary use.
Must address ‘Effective Teaching’ and other dynamics influencing
teaching practices and learning outcomes. Up to 5 years duration.