ESRC Society Today

For immediate release - Tuesday 26th February 2008

Today sees the latest new funding announcement by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), including funding for two new research centres and continuing support for another. These will make a significant contribution to the ESRC's commitment to support high quality work with major economic and policy impacts in these important areas of research. 

The two new research centres receiving funding are:

• The Centre for Population Change will be directed by Professor Jane Falkingham and based at the Universities of Southampton and St Andrews thus facilitating a strong UK wide focus to its work. The centre will receive in the region of £5million over five years, in the first instance. It will explore the issues surrounding migration, fertility and ageing including the implications for society of migration both within and beyond national borders
• Jointly directed by Professor Judith Rees, at the London School of Economics and Political Science and Professor Andy Gouldson, at the University of Leeds, with Professor Sir Nicholas Stern as chair, the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy will receive in the region £4.5million over five years in the first instance. This funding follows last year's announcement that the ESRC would urgently increase its support for work in this area. At the core of the centre's work is to provide both government and business with evidence that will support their decision-making processes and improve policy-making on one of the most critical issues facing the world today. 
• Funding in the region of £3.5million over the next five years has also been agreed for the Research Centre on Micro Social Change (MiSoC), directed by Professor Stephen Pudney, at the University of Essex. This research focuses on developing an understanding of people's everyday lives and social change, including family and social ties; working lives inequalities and opportunities as well as advances in research methods.     

Funding for new work within the RCUK research priority areas of energy, living with environmental change and security and global uncertainties has also been agreed. In addition, £2.5 million is being committed to increase international collaboration with India, China, Brazil and the United States of America and to participate in a pan-European research programme on migration involving 13 different countries. 

The Council has also agreed to a modest increase in resources to extend its programme of work focused on evaluating the economic impact of social science research. This is central to the commitment shared by all of the Research Councils to ensure that maximum benefit and impact is achieved from the public's investment in the science and research base. 

The 2008-09 competition for new research centres will focus on the Key Challenge of "Succeeding in the Global Economy". The formal call for proposals will be issued in late March 2008. 

For further information, contact:

ESRC Press Office: 

• Kelly Barnett (Tel: 01793 413032, e-mail: kelly.barnett@esrc.ac.uk)
• Danielle Moore (Tel: 01793 413312; e-mail: danielle.moore@esrc.ac.uk) 

Notes for editors:

1. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's largest funding agency for research and postgraduate training relating to social and economic issues. It supports independent, high quality research relevant to business, the public sector and voluntary organisations. The ESRC's planned total expenditure in 2007 - 08 is £181 million. At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and research policy institutes. More at http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk 
2. ESRC Society Today offers free access to a broad range of social science research and presents it in a way that makes it easy to navigate and saves users valuable time. As well as bringing together all ESRC-funded research and key online resources such as the Social Science Information Gateway and the UK Data Archive, non-ESRC resources are included, for example the Office for National Statistics. The portal provides access to early findings and research summaries, as well as full texts and original datasets through integrated search facilities. More at http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk