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Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

{{Short description|British research funding body}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}

{{EngvarB|date=May 2020}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

| image = Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council logo.svg

| size = 200px

| caption =

| abbreviation = EPSRC

| formation = 1994

| predecessor = Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC)

| purpose = Funding of science and engineering research

| headquarters = Polaris House,
North Star Avenue,
Swindon,
SN2 1ET

| region_served = United Kingdom

| type = Research Council within UKRI

| membership =

| leader_title = Executive Chair

| leader_name = Lynn Gladden

| main_organ = EPSRC Council

| parent_organisation = {{Plainlist|*Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

| affiliations = RCUK, AHRC, BBSRC, ESRC, MRC, NERC, STFC, TSB, UKSA

| budget = £898 million (2015–2016){{citation |url=https://epsrc.ukri.org/about/facts/budget/ |title=Budget and finances |publisher=Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council |access-date=2020-08-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200829043901/https://epsrc.ukri.org/about/facts/budget/ |archive-date=2020-08-29 }}

| website = {{Official URL}}

}}

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a British Research Council that provides government funding for grants to undertake research and postgraduate degrees in engineering and the physical sciences, mainly to universities in the United Kingdom. EPSRC research areas include mathematics, physics, chemistry, artificial intelligence and computer science, but exclude particle physics, nuclear physics, space science and astronomy (which fall under the remit of the Science and Technology Facilities Council). Since 2018 it has been part of UK Research and Innovation, which is funded through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

History

EPSRC was created in 1994. At first part of the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC),{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} in 2018 it was one of nine organisations brought together to form UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).{{Cite web|title=Our councils|url=https://www.ukri.org/councils/|access-date=2020-10-31|website=UKRI|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=17 May 2016|title=John Kingman to lead creation of new £6 billion research and innovation body|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/john-kingman-to-lead-creation-of-new-6-billion-research-and-innovation-body|access-date=2020-10-31|website=GOV.UK|publisher=Department for Business, Innovation & Skills|language=en}}

Its head office is in Swindon, Wiltshire in the same building (Polaris House) that houses the AHRC, BBSRC, ESRC, MRC, Natural Environment Research Council, Science and Technology Facilities Council, TSB, Research Councils UK and the UK Space Agency.

Key people

Paul Golby, Chair of EngineeringUK, was appointed as the Chairman of the EPSRC from 1 April 2012 for four years. He succeeded Sir John Armitt.

From 2007 to March 2014, the chief executive and deputy chair of EPSRC was David Delpy, a medical physicist and formerly vice provost at University College London.New Chief Executive for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, 30 May 2007, http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0705/07053002

He'd been succeeded in April 2014 by Philip Nelson, former University of Southampton pro vice-chancellor for research and enterprise.{{cite web |url=http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2014/Pages/newceo.aspx |title=Professor Philip Nelson announced as next EPSRC CEO - EPSRC |access-date=2014-04-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413132351/http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2014/Pages/newceo.aspx |archive-date=2014-04-13 }} In April 2016 Professor Tom Rodden was appointed as the Deputy CEO of EPSRC, a new position created to work alongside Philip Nelson while he also acts as Chair of RCUK Strategic Executive. Rodden joins the EPSRC on secondment from the University of Nottingham where he is currently Professor of Computing and Co-Director of Horizon Digital Economy Research.

In October 2018 Nelson was succeeded by Lynn Gladden{{Who's Who | author=Anon| title=Gladden, Prof. Lynn Faith | id = U4000454 | year = 2017 | doi =10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.4000454 | edition = online Oxford University Press|location=Oxford}} in the new role of Executive Chair.{{cite web |title=Professor Lynn Gladden selected as Executive Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/professor-lynn-gladden-selected-as-executive-chair-of-the-engineering-and-physical-sciences-research-council |access-date=13 December 2018}}

Functions

In addition to funding academic research projects, the EPSRC also funds Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs). These deliver four-year doctoral training programmes to cohorts of PhD students and EngD research engineers studying within UK universities, and are funded to target specific areas of research for which there is recognised need. In 2008, the EPSRC announced funding for 44 new CDTs spanning its entire remit.[http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/newsevents/multimedia/2008/Pages/cdt.aspx New Centres for Doctoral Training – December 2008] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130706204045/http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/newsevents/multimedia/2008/Pages/cdt.aspx |date=2013-07-06 }}, from EPSRC's site

The EPSRC also funds or joint-funds 'Innovation and Knowledge Centres'. These are university-based business incubators which support commercialisation of emerging technologies. Between 2007 and 2016, the EPSRC funded seven centres:{{Cite web|url = https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/innovation/business/opportunities/ikcs/|title = Innovation and knowledge centres – EPSRC website|website = www.epsrc.ac.uk|access-date = 2016-03-03}}

Since 2013, the ESPRC has funded i-Sense, an interdisciplinary research collaboration which develops early warning sensing systems for infectious diseases.{{Cite web|title=About us|url=https://www.i-sense.org.uk/about-us|access-date=2020-10-31|website=i-sense.org.uk}}

In 2020, ESPRC received £22{{Nbsp}}million from UKRI to be used (alongside money from industry and the universities involved) to fund five "next stage digital economy" centres. Projects will be run by the universities of Bath, Newcastle, Northumbria, Nottingham, Surrey and Lancaster.{{Cite web|date=29 October 2020|title=UKRI to invest £29m to boost digital revolution and online safety|url=https://www.governmentcomputing.com/funding/cybersecurity/ukri-digital-revolution-online-safety|access-date=2020-10-31|website=governmentcomputing.com}}

{{Further|ESPRIT project}}

RISE

In 2014 the ESPRC established its RISE awards – Recognising Inspirational Scientists and Engineers. The awards recognise inspirational leaders of innovation as RISE Leaders; those who are fellows of the Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering or Academy of Medical Sciences as RISE Fellows; future leaders nominated by RISE Leaders as Rising Stars; and EPSRC-supported researchers with an interest in policy and evidence-based decision making as RISE Connectors.{{cite web |title=RISE: Recognising inspiration |url=https://epsrc.ukri.org/skills/rise/ |website=epsrc.ukri.org |publisher=EPSRC |access-date=5 October 2020}} {{As of|October 2020}}, those named as RISE leaders are:

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{Official website}}
  • [https://www.youtube.com/user/EPSRCvideo EPSRC YouTube channel]

{{Department for Science, Innovation and Technology}}

{{Science and technology in the United Kingdom}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Engineering education in the United Kingdom

Category:Engineering organizations

Category:Government agencies established in 1994

Category:Organisations based in Swindon

Category:Science and technology in Wiltshire

Category:UK Research and Innovation

Category:1994 establishments in the United Kingdom