ESRC Society Today

Through its support for the creation and maintenance of a wide range of data resources, the ESRC Research Resources Board helps provide the social science research community with the data required for empirical research across a wide range of disciplines.  Other bodies, such as the Office for National Statistics, many government departments and agencies and the research foundations also contribute significantly to the development of such resources and share these with the academic community.  Thus, there is considerable scope to collaborate with these bodies and to co-ordinate the development of new and valuable research resources for the social scientific research.

To assist with this task, the ESRC Research Resources Board has created a new post, Strategic Advisor (Data Resources) and has appointed Professor Peter Elias, University of Warwick, to this post for three years from October 2004.

Professor Elias will have responsibility for the development of a National Data Strategy to support social science research.  This will involve planning for the development of new data sources and the maintenance of existing resources, working closely with government departments, other research councils and the research foundations to coordinate these developments and assisting with the task of identifying the scope for co-funding arrangements.  His brief will enable him to commission fact-finding and scoping studies which will help identify the data resources needs for future research and to explore the opportunities for improved access to existing resources.  He will be a member of the UK Data Forum, a new high-level committee which will coordinate strategic decision making by those bodies which fund the development and maintenance of data resources.

Professor Elias will initially be engaged in a round of consultations with those who have a key interest in the development of a National Data Strategy.  He will chair the National Longitudinal Strategy Committee and will be a member of the Advisory Board of the Economic and Social data Service.  During the first two years of his appointment he will devote approximately 50% of his time to his strategic advisory role.