Memorandum 178
Submission from Research Councils UK (RCUK)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Research Councils believe engineering is
vital both to the UK economy and to society in general. We seek
to support a full spectrum of research and postgraduate training
within engineering and work to ensure that the research climate
for engineering in the UK is vibrant. Connectivity between the
research base and users across engineering is crucial and there
is strong engagement between Councils and Government Departments
on areas of mutual interest. Research Council have signed Memoranda
of Understanding with a number of Government Departments and there
are regular meetings to review strategic priorities and areas
of mutual interest in addition to considerable ad hoc engagement.
A number of research programmes have been developed relevant to
engineering and all the Councils participate in the MoD joint
grant scheme.
Each of the Research Councils engages with key
stakeholders to identify new research opportunities and needs
and examine the impact of our research and training programmes.
Such engagement will include advice from key groups such as the
Chief Scientific Advisors and both EPSRC and BBSRC have Chief
Scientist representation on their Councils. In addition, there
is representation on primary advisory bodies, for example EPSRC
has representation from Government Departments on the Technical
Opportunities Panel. BBSRC has representation from Government
Departments on a number of its Research Committees and Strategy
Panels. The opportunity to influence policy making extends back
into Departments with engineers supported by Research Council
funding as members of their advisory bodies. Research Council
staff also directly engage with such bodies for example, the CEO
of EPSRC is a member of the Health Innovation Council and is able
to provide a view on behalf of all the Councils.
Research Councils support high quality basic,
strategic and applied research and related postgraduate training.
The development of individual research projects are primarily
researcher led; however, larger programmes of research include
advisory boards are able to provide external benchmarking and
context. The funding of major research centres and consortia have
provided an opportunity for departments such as the MoD, Home
Office, BERR, DfID, and Defra to advise research programmes. It
is also vital that the outputs from research inform government
policy and that there is a direct route for the outputs of those
programmes to inform departments. Such major consortia funding
is also an area where more than one Council will work together
with a department and possibly other funding bodies such as the
Technology Strategy Board in delivering a research programme.
RCUK INTRODUCTION
1. Research Councils UK is a strategic partnership
set up to champion the research supported by the seven UK Research
Councils. RCUK was established in 2002 to enable the Councils
to work together more effectively to enhance the overall impact
and effectiveness of their research, training and innovation activities,
contributing to the delivery of the Government's objectives for
science and innovation. Further details are available at .www.rcuk.ac.uk.
2. This evidence is submitted by RCUK on
behalf of all Research Councils and represents their independent
views. It does not include or necessarily reflect the views of
the Science and Innovation Group in the Department for Innovation,
Universities and Skills. Separate written and oral evidence has
been provided by RCUK and EPSRC to the Committee's main inquiry
into engineering and to related case studies. This submission
is made on behalf of the following Councils:
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research
Council (BBSRC) Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
(EPSRC);
- Medical Research Council (MRC); and
- Science and Technology Facilities Council
(STFC).
BACKGROUND
3. The spectrum of engineering research
covered by this case study is as defined in the main RCUK submission.
As highlighted in the main submission, the Research Councils believe
engineering is vital to both the UK economy and to society in
general. In supporting the full spectrum of research and postgraduate
training, the Councils and the engineers supported have significant
engagement with representatives across Government departments.
The Research Councils engage with key departments in a variety
of ways, to enable them to contribute to and influence the engineering
research agenda, to access the engineering research portfolio,
and to engage with the engineering research community. This case
study has been structured around the primary mechanisms of engagement.
WORKING AGREEMENTS
WITH GOVERNMENT
DEPARTMENTS
4. The Research Councils and a number of
departments work closely together on research and development
issues of mutual interest with an emphasis on promoting wealth
creation, quality of life and sustainable development. This level
of engagement has been formalised through the agreement of a number
of concordats. The concordat establishes a framework within which
the two organisations can interact across areas where there is
complementarity of roles and benefit can be gained from shared
experience and cross-representation. Concordats are valuable in
providing a clear statement of the respective roles of the two
organisations to ensure that clear and open avenues of communication
exist between the Department and the Council; and to ensure the
effective and efficient management and operation of activities
of mutual interest.
5. EPSRC has developed concordats with the
former DOE, DOT, DETR, and DTLR. EPSRC and DfT have now built
on these and have re-affirmed their intention to maintain and
develop co-operation in science and research. In pursuing their
common interests, both organisations have subscribed to Guidelines
2000[28]
on the use of scientific advice in policy making. In September
2006 a concordat was also signed with Defra, to encourage effective
working between both parties with the aim of promoting future
joint activities; the concordat will be updated in September 2008.
Initial discussions have also taken place between EPSRC and CLG
to explore the possibility of developing such a concordat which
builds on the previous concordat with the Office of the Deputy
Prime Minister, where activities focused around the area of fire
engineering.
6. BBSRC have developed Memoranda of Understanding
with FSA, Defra, MoD; DfID and Scottish Government which aim to
provide mechanisms to deliver joint strategic research in important
policy areas. These have the potential to impact in areas such
as engineering of: food processing, food transport and the prevention
of disease transmission in the food chain; engineering processes
underpinning sustainable agriculture or to improve farm animal
health; technologies for detection of pathogens and biological
agents; and bioremediation and bioenergy technology development.
In addition, BBSRC research activities applicable to addressing
Millennium Development Goals have been delivered through collaboration
with DFID.
7. EPSRC, the Ministry of Defence, the Atomic
Weapons Establishment, British Nuclear Fuels plc (now Nexia Solutions)
and British Energy plc work together under a formal agreement
in areas of common interest in research and training to sustain
critical nuclear related capabilities. Future developments are
discussed and areas highlighted for Research Council activity,
addressing stakeholder need. The Health and Safety Executive and
the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority are also involved in the
discussions.
REPRESENTATION ON
RESEARCH COUNCIL
ADVISORY GROUPS
8. All Council members are appointed by
the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills
and are drawn from both the academic and stakeholder communities.
The EPSRC Council includes the Ministry of Defence Chief Scientific
Advisor, Professor Mark Welland; BBSRC Council includes the Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Chief Scientific Advisor,
Professor Robert Watson. Council meetings also include representation
from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. In
addition, Professor Brian Collins, Chief Scientific Advisor for
DfT and for BERR, is a member of the Advisory Board for Digital
Economy Cross Council Programme, and is also on the EPSRC Technical
Opportunities Panel.
9. The Office for Strategic Coordination
of Health Research (OSCHR) has been jointly established as a Government
office by the Department of Heath in England (DH) and the Department
for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). OSCHR's focus
is to develop a coherent strategy for translational medicine research.
EPSRC's relationship with OSCHR has been developed through regular
meetings and Liam O'Toole (Head of Office) is a member of EPSRC
User Panel.
10. The Research Councils' Energy Programme
Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) has representatives drawn
from the providers and users of research who have an interest
in ensuring that we have access to pertinent advice and comment
to inform decision making. Advice from the SAC helps define the
Programme's approach to supporting research and training. There
is DIUS, BERR and Defra representation on the advisory committee.
JOINTLY COMMISSIONED
RESEARCH PROGRAMMES
11. Strategic partnerships are formal arrangements
between EPSRC and other organisations where we agree to jointly
support research, training and other activities in UK universities.
A partnership can involve one or several organisations, and gives
a framework for supporting mutually-beneficial activities in areas
of interest. Activities can include funding of research chairs,
research grants and consortia and studentships. Such strategic
partnerships have been developed between EPSRC and MoD, DSTL,
DfT, which all have contributed to the development of engineering
research activities. An example is the current activity with DSTL
in the area of enhancing damage tolerance through materials science.
This partnership is being taken forward with a new £2 million
activity in signal processing.
12. Interdisciplinary Research Collaborations
(IRCs) are centres of internationally-acknowledged scientific
and technological excellence, with sufficient critical mass to
make a real impact in areas of key future industrial relevance
to the UK. In 2002 an £19.6 million investment funded jointly
by BBSRC, EPSRC, MRC and the Ministry of Defence established two
Interdisciplinary Research Collaborations in Nanotechnology:
12.1 The aim of the Bionanotechnology IRC
which is led by the Department of Physics, University of Oxford,
is to learn from nature-to understand the structure and function
of biological devices and to utilise nature's solutions in advancing
science and engineering in areas as diverse as biosensors, genomics,
the discovery of new medicines, diagnostics and drug delivery.
12.2 The nanotechnology IRC is led by the
Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge and it
aims to provide underpinning interdisciplinary activity in nanotechnology
with the theme of understanding and controlling the physical properties
of nanostructures and devices by fabrication at single molecule
precision.
13. The LINK Programme was developed by
DTI prior to the establishment of the Technology Programme as
a means by which the Government encouraged collaborative research
for innovative and industrially-relevant research to support its
wealth creation and quality of life goals. Because of its relevance
to industry and the collaborative nature of the work, the programme
was supported by relevant Research Councils and other Government
Departments.
14. The Bioremediation LINK Programme was
launched in April 2001 to support the development of technologies
that will provide UK industry with the multidisciplinary capability
necessary to enable the commercial exploitation of biotechnology
for the clean up of contaminated land, air and water. The core
Programme sponsors were the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI),
BBSRC, EPSRC and the Environment Agency (EA). Projects with engineering
relevance include using microorganisms to clean up acidic mine
waste and developing reactive barrier technologies for the bioremediation
of cyanide.
15. Other examples include the following
LINK programmes:
- Advanced Food Manufacturing LINK (jointly
funded by Defra, Scottish Government, BBSRC and EPSRC) which encourage
collaborative R&D that will strengthen and improve the UK
industry's technical base in process design, process capabilities
and operational efficiency through diagnostics and control.
- Food Quality and Innovation LINK (jointly
funded by Defra, Scottish Government, BBSRC and EPSRC) which aims
to increase industry's technical capability and performance in
producing safe, high quality nutritious food and to provide necessary
information and direction in terms of ensuring these foods meet
consumer expectations and needs. One BBSRC co-sponsored grant
at the University of Leeds worked with engineers and the biscuit
industry to optimise taste, colour and texture whilst reducing
energy inpuys and the effect on the environment.
- Renewable Materials LINK (jointly funded
by Defra and BBSRC) encourages investment in research and the
exchange of knowledge between the private sector and the research
base in furthering the non-food uses of renewable materials to
support sustainable development. For example one grant to BBSRC's
John Innes Centre looks at reducing the carbon footprint of lubricants
by designing sustainable biological alternative to mineral oil;
with basic biologist working with engineers to make sure the outputs
can be integrated into UK industries.
- Horticulture LINK; Sustainable Livestock
Production LINK; and Sustainable Arable LINK (jointly funded by
BBSRC and government with ESRC involvement in SLP-LINK) all have
objectives that include engineering solutions to improve agriculture
production, adapt to and reduce the effect of climate change and
lessen the effects of agriculture on the environment.
16. The Research Councils have been working
with the Technology Strategy Board and the previous DTI technology
programme since it started in 2004, and provide co-funding for
academic partners. Through the Innovation Platforms two major
research initiatives have been developed which involve direct
partnership with Government Departments. The DTI, EPSRC and DfT
came together to support research consortia in the area of Intelligent
Transport Systems; the EPSRC and DTI invested a total of £9
million, with a further £3 million from industry. There has
also been significant engagement with DfT through the Low Carbon
Vehicles Innovation Platform. The TSB will invest £20 million
in the programme; DfT and EPSRC will also each contribute at least
£10 million. In addition the DfTs National Transport Innovation
Incubator was co-funded by EPSRC.
17. EPSRC is set to announce grants through
the "Integrated Risk Management Planning" initiative
in collaboration with CLG. These grants were developed following
a workshop hosted by CLG, which looked to identify ways in which
IRMP can improve community safety, reduce the commercial, economic
and social impact of fires and other emergency incidents (such
as flooding and terrorism threats) and make a more productive
use of Fire and Rescue Service resources to meet today's risks.
Two grants were developed through this process: "Multi-Objective
Decision Making for the Fire & Rescue Services-A scoping study"
and "Evaluation of prevention and protection activities
on commercial, public and heritage buildings". EPSRC
has invested £658k; CLG will be providing on going support
through involvement on the steering committees and will provide
over £1 million of in-kind support through involvement of
staff and software access.
18. EPSRC has partnered with the Department
for International Development (DfID) and a call has been issued
looking to support research consortia in decentralised off grid
electricity generation that will promote links between UK universities
and developing country universities and facilitate the transfer
of technologies that will help alleviate developing country poverty.
EPSRC has allocated £3 million to this call with DfID co-funding
proposals up to a level of matched funding.
19. EPSRC has partnered with the Home Office
to develop and fund research consortia. This partnership developed
through the supporting of grants funded through the five calls
of the Crime and Security Programme. The original programme had
a wide remit and specific workshops were subsequently developed
on key areas of interest; Gun Crime, Ensuring Privacy and Consent,
and Cargo Screening (details below). A similar partnership with
the Department for Transport has led to the organisation of an
IDEAS Factory sandpit (to take place November 08) focusing on
reducing the environmental impacts of airports.
18.1 The Gun Crime workshop took place in
September 2005 and explored long-term ideas preventing gun crime,
protecting against gun crime and assisting in the detection of
gun crime. Four proposals, including one network, arising from
this were supported and include collaborations with a range of
stakeholders including the Home Office, Forensic Science Service,
Metropolitan Police, Association of Police Officers of England
Wales and Northern Ireland, Greater Manchester Police, The Forensic
Alliance Ltd and the National Firearms Centre.
18.2 The Ensuring Privacy and Consent workshop
(November 2007) was developed in association with the Home Office
(HO) and Identity and Passport Service (IPS) with the aim of delivering
solutions on how the next generation of identity management infrastructures
can offer assured privacy, and depend on truly informed consent.
Three resulting multidisciplinary projects were jointly funded
by The Technology Strategy Board's Network Security Innovation
Platform, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
(EPSRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), representing
a total investment of £5.5 million.
18.3 The Cargo Screening workshop took place
in December 2007 following identification of the problem in association
with the Home Office Scientific Development Branch. The aim of
the workshop was to develop an understanding of the current barriers
to efficient and effective screening of cargo and to develop multidisciplinary
research projects capable of developing technological solutions
to help overcome these barriers. EPSRC subsequently funded five
research projects and one network arising from the sandpit, at
a total cost of £2.5 million.
GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS
AS DIRECT
COLLABORATORS ON
RESEARCH GRANTS
20. Across Engineering EPSRC currently has
a research portfolio in excess of £100 million, which has
collaboration with either Government departments or Executive
Agencies. Their contributions to these grants can be in cash but
more frequently involve in kind support with the specific partner.
There has been direct co-funding of proposals related to engineering
and the portfolio with the DfT is £6.8 million and Defra
is currently £3.3 million. The Ministry of Defence has the
specific mechanism of the joint grant scheme which has led to
a portfolio of £27 million; however, in addition to this
there has been an additional £2.5 million co-funding of engineering
grants.
21. Two members of CLG, including the Chief
Scientific Adviser, are members of the Steering Committee for
an EPSRC Sustainable Urban Environment Knowledge Transfer consortium.
CLG are also involved in the Local Authority Research Councils'
Initiative (LARCI), which aims to bring local authorities and
the Research Councils into closer partnership to enhance the transfer
of Research Council funded research to practitioners.
22. The Multidisciplinary Assessment of
Technology Centre for Healthcare (MATCH) supports the healthcare
sector with: new methods for establishing clinical value, new
methods for capturing user needs for early design and in-use upgrades,
best practice research on production and decision-making processes
and a forum to engage the regulators and seek better ways forward
all concerned. MATCH academic partners include: Brunel University
(hosting institution), University of Ulster, University of Nottingham,
University of Birmingham and King's College London. MATCH Plus
is an additional initiative to address user needs jointly funded
by EPSRC and the Department of Health to the total value of £1.7
million over five years. The aim of this project is to provide
a toolkit and training to aid in the translation of MATCH project
to the health service. EPSRC is contributing funds to the DoH
initiative: Healthcare Technology Cooperatives (HTC) pilot cooperatives
focused on "Devices for Dignity" and "Bowel Function".
23. In October 2008, EPSRC will award a
£1.2 million grant to establish a Centre of Excellence in
Managing and Understanding Natural and Environmental Risk at Cranfield
University. The Centre will be joint funded by a consortia which
will include Defra, EPSRC and other research councils and will
involve two-way knowledge flow between academia and Defra including
secondment of Engineering researchers into Defra. A representative
of EPSRC will sit with representatives of Defra on the Centre's
advisory board.
24. BBSRC currently fund Government Partnership
Awards (GPAs) which recognise the importance of basic research
in underpinning policy development and regulation. Such partnerships
have been developed with Defra and the Food Standards Agency,
which support process engineering in food production. One award
to Professor Peter Fryer, at University of Birmingham (value:
£236k), seeks a better understanding of fouling in food processing
plants by carrying out an interdisciplinary approach (process
engineering and materials science) of the processes of cleaning,
and to develop a model which can be used to study real problems.
RESEARCH COUNCIL
REPRESENTATION ON
DEPARTMENT COMMITTEES
AND ADVISORY
GROUPS
25. EPSRC Chief Executive is a member of
Health Innovation Council, and is able to provide a view on behalf
of the research councils. EPSRC is also represented on a number
of DoH panels including HTC, Healthcare Technology Devices (HTD),
New and Emerging Applications of Technology (NEAT) and Invention
for Innovation (i4i) programme.
RESEARCH COUNCIL
FUNDED ENGINEERING
RESEARCHERS ON
GOVERNMENT ADVISORY
GROUPS AND
INFORMING GOVERNMENT
POLICY
26. Engineering researchers funded through
the Research Councils are directly involved in the development
of policy through membership of Government advisory groups. Professor
William Powrie, head of Southampton University's Civil Engineering
Department, has a current portfolio of 11 EPSRC grants and is
a member of the Defra Waste and Resources Research Advisory Group.
Professor Peter Guthrie from Cambridge University, principal investigator
on the £1.4 million EPSRC Sustainable Urban Environment "ISSUES"
project is a member of Defra's Science Advisory Council.
27. The cross-Research Council's Towards
a Sustainable Energy Economy programme established the UK Energy
Research Centre, (UKERC) leading whole systems research. UKERC
technology and policy assessments, for example on intermittency
of supply, have informed government policy and UKERC modelling
was used to shape the 2007 Energy White Paper. Professor Jim Skea,
the UKERC Research Director, is a member of the Committee on Climate
Change.
28. The Government's manufacturing strategy,
Manufacturing: New Challenges, New Opportunities, published September
2008. In preparation of this BERR established a Ministerial Advisory
Group on Manufacturing to provide advice during the Review. Membership
included Prof Mike Gregory, Head of the Institute for Manufacturing
and Director of one of the EPSRC Innovative Manufacturing Research
Centres.
September 2008
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