In line with other research councils, EPSRC released its Delivery Plan for 2011 – 2015 [PDF] in late December 2010. These documents set out the research councils’ strategic priorities for the next four years – i.e. the anticipated duration of the current Coalition government – and in particular they outline how research councils will respond to the austerity measures laid out in last October’s Comprehensive Spending Review.

Key messages from the Plan are as follows:

• The EPSRC aims to move from being a funder of research to a sponsor of research (providing strategic advice).  Where investments act as a national resource focussed on outcomes for the UK good and where they more proactively partner with the researchers they support.

• Funding choices will be more strategic concentrating on international excellence and national need, shaping their portfolio in line with UK priorities and strengths.

• They will maintain funding for high priority research at the expense of the breadth and volume of research. In common with many of the other research councils’ delivery plans, we see the message of concentration of research funding clearly articulated.

• Support for project studentships on research grants will end; with PhD provision being concentrated in Centres for Doctoral Training. CASE will continue but will be targeted more closely to strategic aims.

• Buzzphrases: throughout the delivery plan the EPSRC regularly refer to “promoting and  supporting leadership”; “building critical mass”; “fostering greater collaboration and networking”‘; “delivering impact”; “shaping capability”; “securing maximum impact from long-term research investment” and “raising ambitions and maximising creativity”.

• The EPSRC will increase the proportion of flexible, longer and larger awards which will emphasise creativity and long-term vision in research activity and with a greater emphasis on collaboration with internationally excellent researchers. They will continue to utilise creative thinking techniques such as sandpits and will ensure that industry have a say in shaping research programmes and allowing industry early access to results.

• Furthermore they will promote the state-of-the-art and bring upstream and downstream research together to accelerate the impact of their investments and “ensure efficient use of resources”.

EPSRC have led the way on demand management for funding applications through their introduction of  a 12 month “cooling off” period in 2010:

From April 2010 we will start to constrain repeatedly unsuccessful applicants to submitting one application only for 12 months and ask them to review their submission behaviour. Current data suggests this will affect around 200-250 people, accounting for 5% of applicants and 10% of applications.

We’re introducing this new measure to help alleviate pressure on all involved in our peer review process. Over the past two decades the number of applications received by research councils has doubled. This is putting huge pressure on the peer review system, including reviewers and panels.

Times Higher Education reported recently that this has led to an increase in success rates, from 26% to 30% within one year.

The EPSRC are focusing their resources on supporting four main themes:

• Manufacturing the Future (an EPSRC-specific theme): “The nation must particularly invest in high-value and specialist manufacturing”
• Healthcare Technologies (an EPSRC-specific theme): “The growing, ageing and increasingly overweight UK population presents challenges to the public health bill. Such a challenge creates opportunities for UK companies within the healthcare technologies and pharmaceuticals sectors.”
• Digital Economy (RCUK Cross-Council theme): “Transforming lives through the novel design and use of information and communications technologies (ICT) and digital technology to deliver improved health and a more inclusive society”
• Energy (RCUK Cross-Council theme): “We are working with bodies such as the Low Carbon Innovation Group to secure a low-carbon future and meet the UK’s CORR reduction targets through reliable, economically viable energy systems while protecting the natural environment, resources and quality of life.”