Campaign Themes

The EPSRC delivery plan outlines EPSRC key priorities in broad terms over the next 10 years, the period of the Government’s Science and Innovation Framework.

The overall ambitions of the Government’s 10-Year Science and Innovation Investment Framework are to:

Make the UK world-class in all areas of science, engineering and technology

Translate the new knowledge generated more effectively into innovation

Improve the prosperity and quality of life of the UK

Make the UK the location of choice for R&D and high value-added business.

For further information on the EPSRC delivery plan, click here

Health of research disciplines
There is strong evidence that some areas of strategic research in the UK may be compromised in their ability to sustain the required research capacity in the future. The term research capacity encompasses not only the production of sufficient numbers of well-trained people but also the existence of inspiring people to lead research teams in universities. EPSRC, working in partnership with the higher education funding councils, has already redeployed existing funds to launch a pilot programme of Science and Innovation Awards. These are designed to strengthen capacity in areas of scientific and economic importance that are especially at risk. Developing this action into a sustained activity is a key priority for EPSRC and we are in discussions with the funding councils to take this forward in a collaborative way.

For more information on the Science and Innovation Awards, click here

Energy technologies for the 21st century
Progress towards a new energy economy will depend on engineering and technology. This is vital if climate change is to be controlled. Sustainable processing and manufacturing will also be fundamental in addressing this issue.

The 2004 spending review allocation for energy research will enable EPSRC to increase its investment from £40M to £61M per year. We will take a clear strategic lead in driving forward, jointly with other research councils and funders, a vibrant and diverse UK energy research programme, with a total investment across the research councils of over £70M per year. This will address energy in all its forms and facets, including sustainable energy technologies and new sources of energy. Other important aspects will include improvements to existing technologies and safeguarding capability in nuclear engineering and associated technologies.

For further information on the Energy Research Programme, click here

Meeting future demands for skilled scientists and engineers
Postgraduate training is a vitally important part of EPSRC’s activities. Our doctoral-level scientists are required not only by the engineering and physical sciences research base and relevant industrial sectors, but also by the research communities in other areas such as medical/life and environmental sciences. Given this special role of engineering and the physical sciences in relation to the economy and the rest of science, we propose to develop our support for PhD training, targeting areas of strategic importance and forming an integrated approach to capacity building.

EPSRC will continue to work with schools and others, both directly where appropriate and through the Research Councils UK Science in Society Unit, to enthuse young people about science and engineering. As the host for the Research Careers and Diversity Unit of Research Councils UK, we shall be seeking a radical improvement in the participation of women and ethnic groups generally. We are acutely aware that these are currently particularly under-represented in the engineering and physical sciences community.

For more information on postgraduate training, click here

Delivering growth through innovation
The Government’s ambition is for the UK to have a reputation not only for outstanding scientific and technological discovery, but also as a world leader in turning that knowledge into new products and services. EPSRC can make a distinctive contribution to improving the UK’s innovation performance by acting as a catalyst for business-academia interaction. As well as enhancing existing collaboration, we propose to explore with universities and business more interactive approaches to optimise knowledge transfer opportunities. Working jointly with others, EPSRC can successfully contribute to an increase in the innovation performance of the UK economy over the coming decade.

For more information on business-academia interaction, click here

Engaging with EPSRC

For information and the opportunity to feed into the EPSRC strategy, please contact Jenny Whitehouse.

If you would like to meet with members of EPSRC and our community to discuss issues of interest to you, please contact Claire Graves or you are welcome to register to come to one of our corporate events.

For information on corporate events, click here