Connect: Issue 70

March 2009 Issue 70

Keeping you in touch with opportunities from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

www.epsrc.ac.uk

New measures to improve peer review EPSRC is introducing improvements to its funding system to safeguard and improve the peer review process.

Quality of research remains the key criterion and changes will support this through increased transparency and efficiency, and by reducing the administrative burden on both reviewers and universities.

Key changes are outlined on the inside pages of this edition of Connect and comprehensive guidance will be available from both the EPSRC website and institutions.

The improvements build on the 2006 Research Councils UK review of the effectiveness of Peer Review and a need for the system to support EPSRC’s mission, as set out in its Delivery Plan, of supporting world class research, improving quality of life and promoting economic development.

As part of the process, EPSRC carried out an extensive period of consultation with the academic community including its Strategic Advisory Teams (SATs), business representatives and its own advisory panels. These views were listened to and have shaped the improvements that will be implemented in April.

EPSRC chief executive Professor David Delpy said: “Peer Review is the bedrock of our funding system and must remain effective and efficient.

“These changes will lead to an improved system that benefits all involved and will support the shared goals of the UK research community.”

Key changes include measures to reduce overall proposal numbers, a requirement for applicants to outline potential impacts of research and a revised panel structure.

The number of proposals received by the Research Councils has doubled in the last two decades and this has resulted in increased pressure on all involved in Peer Review. To address this situation guidance will be given to universities, proposal resubmissions will no longer be accepted and a small number of persistently unsuccessful applicants will be excluded from submitting new proposals for period of 12 months to undergo a mentoring process.

EPSRC’s goal is to improve quality of life through supported research and it is also charged with demonstrating the impact of its funding as part of the Government’s Science and Innovation Investment Framework.

All Research Councils will now ask applicants to set out the potential impact of their proposed research as part of their application. This impact could relate to economic potential, healthcare and quality of life improvements, new skills or the contribution to the advancement of knowledge.

It will give researchers an opportunity to make a case for additional funding to enhance these impacts and will help the Research Councils build the case for sustained funding of UK science and engineering.

Professor Delpy said: “Economic impact refers to a wide range of benefits that encompasses societal, commercial and academic advancement. This is not about changing the type of research we fund but about embedding impact at the earliest possible stage.”

“ These changes will lead to an improved system that benefits all involved” Panel structures will also be changed to reflect last year’s changes to EPSRC’s programme structure.

Professor Delpy added: “We understand that changes will cause some short-term disruption and we hope the academic community will work with us to make the transition as smooth as possible.”

Right: EPSRC chief executive Professor David Delpy

Inside 2/3/4

More on Peer Review changes

5 SATs conference report

6 Calls

Forthcoming EPSRC funding opportunities

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Improvements to the funding system The improvements to the EPSRC funding system will affect the pre-application stage, proposal forms, review process and panel structure. Changes will be phased in from April 2009.

They build on the recommendations of the 2006 Research Councils UK review of the effectiveness of Peer Review and extensive consultation with the academic community.

Reducing the pressure on Peer Review NEW measures will be introduced to help alleviate pressure on all involved in the Peer Review process.

Over the past two decades the number of proposals received by Research Councils has doubled.

This is putting huge pressure on the system including reviewers and panel time.

Easing this pressure will increase the amount of time focused on assessing the highest quality research.

to reduce “ Work pressure on the Peer Review process is ongoing

”

Key changes: • From April 2009, EPSRC will no longer accept resubmissions of unsuccessful proposals. The majority of resubmitted proposals are not successful and their ranking position does not change.

• From April 2009, repeatedly unsuccessful applicants will be excluded from submitting proposals for a period of 12 months to undertake a mentoring programme.

This will apply to applicants (listed as the Principal Investigator) who have more than three proposals within a two-year period ranked in the bottom half of a ranked ordered list or rejected before panel, combined with an overall personal success rate of less than 25 per cent.

Work to reduce pressure on the Peer Review process is ongoing and further measures are being developed. EPSRC welcomes comments from the academic community on potential approaches and ideas in this area.

Pre-application

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Delivering excellence with impact ONE of EPSRC’s goals is to ensure the world-leading research it

The term ‘Economic Impact’ covers a broad range of areas and benefits (see figure 1).

Quality of research remains the key criterion of funding but this will give applicants a further opportunity to demonstrate the importance of their work and seek resources to support impact and dissemination routes.

EPSRC is not expecting every proposal to have an ‘obvious’ impact.

It is quality of argument, realistic assessment of potential impacts and timescales – that could be five to 50 years – that will be considered.

supports has a positive impact across all areas of society.

EPSRC aims to support researchers in exploiting potential benefits of their work and it must also demonstrate these wide-ranging impacts as part of the ongoing case for sustained science and engineering funding.

To aid this, all Research Councils will now be asking researchers to detail potential impacts of their work as part of their proposal. They will be required to provide an impact summary and plan covering: • Who will benefit • How they will benefit • What will be done to ensure they have the opportunity to benefit

What is ‘Economic Impact’?

Economic Impact is described by the Research Councils as: The demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to society and the economy. This accords with the Royal Charters of the Councils and with HM Treasury guidance on the appraisal of economic impact. Impact embraces all the extremely diverse ways in which researchrelated knowledge and skills benefit individuals, organisations and nations by: • fostering global economic performance, and specifically the economic competitiveness of the United Kingdom, • increasing the effectiveness of public services and policy, International and development • enhancing quality of life, health and creative output.

Knowledge Scientific advancement Techniques Policy

Society Health

Figure 1: The ways in which funded research has ‘economic impact’

Your research

Quality of life

Skills

People People pipeline

New companies Inward investment Wealth creation

Products and procedures

Economy

Proposal stage

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Connect March 2009 Issue 70

Panels aligned with EPSRC programme structure Business Innovation programmes – Energy, Digital Economy, Next Generation Healthcare and Nanoscience: through engineering to application – are unaffected by these changes.

The Cross-Disciplinary Interfaces programme delivers its support through a range of managed activities and through targeted interventions in panels led by other Research Base programmes.

Proposals aimed at developing and supporting international collaborations or those requesting access to the national high-end computing services as part of a project will be considered at the panel most appropriate for the topic of the research.

IN April 2008, EPSRC introduced a new programme structure to meet the aims of it’s Delivery Plan – sustaining a world-leading research base and delivering impact across all areas of society. EPSRC’s panel structure will now be changed to reflect and support the new programmes.

EPSRC’s aim is to ensure panel remits are transparent, easy to understand and complement each other.

Unless in response to a specific call, all applications are made to EPSRC and not to a particular panel or programme. EPSRC staff will continue to ensure proposals are considered by the most appropriate panel.

Areas of research including:

Panel

Communications, computer science, user interface design, image and vision computing, human computer interaction, semiconductors, photonic and electronic materials and devices.

Information and Communications Technology

Acoustics, aerodynamics, control and systems engineering, sensors and instrumentation, robotics, soft and hard manufacturing, design engineering, mechanical engineering, medical engineering, biomaterials and tissue engineering, materials processing, and synthetic biology.

Materials, Mechanical and Medical Engineering

Pure mathematics, applied mathematics, mathematical statistics and applied probability, mathematical physics, and the mathematical aspects of operational research.

Mathematical Sciences

Chemistry – organic and inorganic synthesis, physical, analytical and biological chemistry.

Materials – synthesis and characterisation of materials and materials modelling at the atomic scale.

Physics – atomic, molecular, optical and plasma physics, condensed matter physics, lasers, optics and surface science.

Physical Sciences (three parallel panels) • Chemistry • Materials • Physics

Process engineering, built environment and civil engineering, sustainable development, water supplies, waste and coastal engineering, transport management, energy impact and adaptation to climate change, energy generation and distribution and electrical engineering, and combustion.

Process, Environment and Sustainability

New reviewers’ form EPSRC has completely redesigned its reviewers’ form in response to feedback from its peer review survey. The standard form will now only contain four questions (on excellence, impact, the applicants and resources/management), with extra tailored questions for specific calls and schemes. The new form will be used from 21 April, but will be available on the EPSRC website before that date.

Review and decision-making

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For more information visit www.epsrc.ac.uk/changes

Connect March 2009 Issue 70

International Centre for Mathematical Sciences – building on success THE EPSRC Mathematics Programme has awarded a four-year £1.6m grant to the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS) in Edinburgh.

The award, which will be complemented by grants from other bodies such as the Scottish Funding Council and the London and Edinburgh Mathematical Societies, will enable ICMS to consolidate its status as a world-leading centre for workshops and research activities in the mathematical sciences, creating new opportunities for research within its programme.

The new EPSRC award recognises that ICMS is a significant part of mathematical life in the UK and beyond, and contributes significantly to the consolidation and expansion of activities.

ICMS now participates in and arranges workshops, training courses for postgraduate mathematicians, public engagement and knowledge transfer events in the mathematical sciences. The centre and its workshop organisers attract a substantial amount of additional funding from international bodies to supplement support for the programme.

ICMS scientific director, Professor John Toland FRS, said that “mathematical research grows and develops in new directions largely through the meeting of individuals”.

As well as continuing the workshop programme, the new grants allow ICMS to further nurture such relationships through its new EPSRCsupported Research-in-Groups (RiGs) programme.

RiGs is designed to enable small groups to spend short periods in intensive collaboration at ICMS, away from teaching and administration.

Its primary aim is to support top-quality international research.

Successful applicants will be offered financial support and office facilities for their collaboration at ICMS on a specified project. ICMS encourages adventurous proposals involving novel groupings of researchers, especially in interdisciplinary areas involving overseas collaborators.

Though research can be an end in itself, it is important to make connections with sectors where it can be applied. In her role as the newly appointed ICMS knowledge transfer officer, Dr Helen Bridle will be doing just that. Dr Bridle has responsibility for uncovering potential links and applications of ICMS workshops to mathematical activities in industry and commerce.

Her services will be available to workshop organisers to assist in assessing whether there is a prospect of engaging industry and commerce, encouraging wider interest in the run-up to the workshop and ensuring that industrial participants receive useful follow-up information.

Contact: Irene Moore, Irene.moore@icms.org.uk Further information: www.icms.org.uk

Conference of EPSRC Strategic Advisory Teams EPSRC

brought together all of its programme Strategic Advisory Teams (SATs) to engage in a consultation on future scientific and technological challenges and to develop a vision for the research base.

The event, held in Loughborough in October, brought together 12 SATs, each of which comprises 10-12 people, mostly academics, from a particular discipline. Approximately 80 members of SATS attended. The remaining delegates were a mix of EPSRC Council and advisory panel members, and colleagues from other Research Councils.

Attendees were asked to look fifty years ahead and to develop a vision for the contribution of science and engineering, and consider the forces that either aid or inhibit the fulfilment of that vision.

People worked both within their own discipline and across the different teams. This generated a wealth of ideas which were clustered to produce a set of potential research themes. These will be further discussed by individual SATs, along with some of the more esoteric ideas generated.

As well as contributing to the development of individual programmes, the outcomes will help EPSRC guide its long term direction and prepare for the next Government spending review.

A session, led by Marianne Talbot of Oxford University, raised awareness of the role ethics and societal impacts can play in research thinking and planning. This built on the work initiated by EPSRC’s Societal Issues Panel to embed ethical and societal thinking across all EPSRC activity.

EPSRC’s head of cross disciplinary interfaces Kedar Pandya leads a discussion at the SATs conference.

For a full report of the conference visit: www.epsrc.ac.uk/SATconference

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Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

EPSRC Contacts Head of Materials Mechanical and Medical Engineering Annette Bramley 01793 444398 annette.bramley@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Information and Communications Technology Liam Blackwell 01793 444217 liam.blackwell@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Energy Multidisciplinary Applications Rachel Bishop 01793 444241 rachel.bishop@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Peer Review Susan Morrell 01793 444462 susan.morrell@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Digital Economy John Hand 01793 444394 john.hand@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Nanotechnology and Next Generation Healthcare John Wand MBE 01793 444335 john.wand@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Knowledge Transfer John Baird 01793 444047 john.baird@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Mathematical Sciences and Public Engagement David Harman 01793 444304 david.harman@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Energy Research Capacity Jason Green 01793 444208 jason.green@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Engineering for Sustainability Philippa Hemmings 01793 444378 philippa.hemmings@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Cross Disciplinary Interfaces Kedar Pandya 01793 444317 kedar.pandya@epsrc.ac.uk

Mathematical sciences in ‘Energy’ and ‘Digital Economy’ – Workshop 25 March 2009 THE COUNCIL for the Mathematical Sciences is holding a one-day event to encourage researchers to explore funding opportunities within the multidisciplinary research ‘themes’ identified in EPSRC’s strategic plan.

The event will take place on Wednesday 25 March 2009 at the Woburn House Conference Centre, London WC1H 9HQ, and will focus on the role of mathematical sciences in the ‘Energy’ and ‘Digital Economy’ themes.

EPSRC theme leaders will be available to discuss opportunities with researchers and speakers will provide examples of how they have been able to fund their cutting edge research in this way.

Break-out groups will explore opportunities in more detail. The event will also be suitable for researchers in other subjects who would like to learn more about how mathematical sciences research can be integrated in these themes.

The event is free to attend, although places are limited.

Contact: Martin Smith, martin.smith@lms.ac.uk Further information: www.cms.ac.uk

Head of User Led Knowledge and Skills Alan Thomas 01793 442806 alan.thomas@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Infrastructure and International Jane Nicholson 01793 444065 jane.nicholson@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Physical Sciences Andrew Bourne 01793 444358 andrew.bourne@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Research Careers Strategy Lucy Brady 01793 444147 lucy.brady@epsrc.ac.uk Maggie Wilson 01793 444333 maggie.wilson@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Business Relationships Emma Feltham 01793 444321 emma.feltham@epsrc.ac.uk Associate Director Research Capability Neil Viner 01793 444310 neil.viner@epsrc.ac.uk Associate Director Mission Programmes Alison Wall 01793 444176 alison.wall@epsrc.ac.uk Associate Director Research Base Programmes Clive Hayter 01793 444440 clive.hayter@epsrc.ac.uk Associate Director Economic Impact Vince Osgood MBE 01793 444084 vince.osgood@epsrc.ac.uk Senior Manager International Edward Clarke 01793 444438 edward.clarke@epsrc.ac.uk Senior Manager Public Engagement Joanna Coleman 01793 444209 joanna.coleman@epsrc.ac.uk IDEAS Factory Contact Susan Morrell 01793 444462 susan.morrell@epsrc.ac.uk

For current grant maintenance and grant assessment enquiries Engineering Chris Elson 01793 444504 chris.elson@epsrc.ac.uk Technology Valerie Hibberd 01793 444560 valerie.hibberd@epsrc.ac.uk Science Jo Garrad 01793 444348 jo.garrad@epsrc.ac.uk

Calls To receive all the latest EPSRC call information direct to your inbox sign up for our weekly e-mail alert: www.epsrc.ac.uk/emailalert

Synthesis of Novel Compounds for the Potential Treatment of Respiratory Diseases (Drug Discovery) Closing date: 2 April 2009 EPSRC and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have formed a strategic alliance to jointly fund high quality, basic, strategic and applied research in the area of Drug Discovery. As part of this alliance, EPSRC and GSK are launching a call for Outline Proposals from those wishing to address research challenges in the area of the synthesis of novel compounds operating via any mechanism for the treatment of respiratory diseases.

Subject to the quality of the proposals received, up to £2 million (£1million from each of EPSRC and GSK) is available for this call, which is expected to support between 1 and 3 projects for up to 4 years.

Contact: Zoe Brown, zoe.brown@epsrc.ac.uk Industrial CASE Studentship Competition 2009 Closing date: 7 May 2009 Funding for at least 40 PhD studentships for businesses to take the lead in arranging projects with an academic partner of their choice. Industrial CASE provides funding for PhD studentships where businesses take the lead in arranging projects with an academic partner of their choice. Funding for at least 40 3.5-year PhD studentships is available.

Contact: Anita Howman, anita.howman@epsrc.ac.uk

EPSRC, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1ET Telephone: 01793 444000 www.epsrc.ac.uk Editor: Christopher Buratta, christopher.buratta@epsrc.ac.uk Circulation amendments: connect@epsrc.ac.uk © Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council 2009.

ISSN 1476-6485 Material may be reproduced providing the source is acknowledged.

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