EPSRC Academic Regional Seminar
Heriot-Watt, 7 November 2001 

This month Monika Lekuse and I attended the EPSRC Academic Seminar, visiting
Scotland on its termly roadshow.  The lead speaker was the new head of EPSRC,
John O'Reilly.  Main points:

 - EPSRC is going to get a "Strategic Framework".
 - Everyone wants individual grants to be larger; no-one knows how.
 - EU PhD students should be properly funded from next year.
 - Fast track grants are going to have some restrictions.

Details below.  I have slides and notes if anyone wants to know more.

Ian 

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Professor O'Reilly has been EPSRC Chief Executive since October, taking over
from Richard Brook, and this was his first such seminar.  The other person in
the audience from Informatics was Alan Bundy.

Strategic Framework 

  O'Reilly wants one of these; meaning a presentation of research activity in
  terms of "themes linked to society - energy and sustainability, crime
  prevention and security, transport, health, etc".  He suggested that this is
  chiefly a presentation exercise, in order for EPSRC to tell the Government
  that it had a strategy.  For researchers, he does seem to believe in the
  value of responsive-mode (funding things that are good, not just matching
  buzzwords); although he didn't rule out asking grant proposers to say
  whether their applications fitted such themes.

Size of Grants

  Every grant is now 150k for 3 years; both EPSRC and researchers want some of
  them to be bigger.  Suggestions include "platform grants", or somehow
  rolling together the existing grant portfolio of large departments.  The aim
  is to provide greater stability and less bureaucracy for both research teams
  and EPSRC administrators.  It's not clear that anyone has a scheme that
  works: current requirements for milestones and work packages just don't
  encourage big open-ended programmes.  Alan Bundy, in particular, doesn't
  think the proposed platform grants are large enough or flexible enough to
  support the kind of research team that his old rolling grant could maintain.

  On the positive side, it seems that any strong research group (LFCS, say)
  that comes up with a novel approach for a big grant will be taken seriously.
  EPSRC have identified a problem, and are open to offers of a solution.

Doctoral Training Accounts

  Barring surprises, from October 2002 these will be open to all EU students,
  with stipend.  Confirmation of this should come in the new year.

Fast Track Grants

  It's a fine scheme, but EPSRC is a bit tetchy about all the applications
  from new professors moving from chairs overseas or from industry
  directorships.  They will think up some hurdle.

College of Peers

  O'Reilly likes this, replacing the old standing committees for proposal
  assessment.  There is likely to be more involvement of such researchers in
  EPSRC policy, possibly through Advisory Panels matching programme areas.

Life Sciences Interface

  This is partnership scheme for EPSRC to joint projects with BBSRC/MRC.  It
  has gone quite well, and is being seen as a model for enabling successful
  interdisciplinary research.

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