Business and Local Government Data Research Centres - Big Data Network Phase 2

In April 2013 the ESRC announced new funding of £64 million to be invested in Big Data, which forms part of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's announcement of capital funding for the eight ‘great British technologies’ in his Autumn Statement. The ESRC's Big Data Network will support the development of a network of innovative investments which will strengthen the UK's competitive advantage in Big Data. The core aim of this network is to facilitate access to different types of data, thereby stimulating innovative research and the development of new methods to undertake that research.

This network has been divided into three phases. In Phase 1 of the Big Data Network the ESRC has invested in the development of the Administrative Data Research Network (ADRN), which will provide access to de-identified administrative data collected by government departments for research use. Phase 2 will focus primarily on business data and local government data, and Phase 3, will focus on Third Sector data and social media data.

We are now inviting proposals for Phase 2, which will commission a series of Business and Local Government Data Research Centres which will deliver the infrastructure to support access to business or local government data or both, for the mutual benefit of researchers and data owners. The primary aim of these Centres is to contribute to the development of data infrastructure around business and local government data through collaboration with data owners, and to provide a service to enable access to that data for the wider research community. All the commissioned Centres will be expected to provide safe and secure access to a range of extremely rich datasets.

For a five-year period, the budget for each Centre application will be a maximum of £7 million. It is expected that the value of proposals will vary depending on the scale and scope of the Centre and how much it is built around existing resources. Costs should be calculated on a full economic costs (fEC) basis. As per standard funding rules, the ESRC will contribute 80 per cent of the total budget.

Proposals must be led by a single UK academic institution approved by the Research Councils. We expect that there will be only one proposal per applying host institution. However, the ESRC will also accept more than one proposals per applying host institution, where it can be clearly demonstrated that the proposed centres within the same host institution will be for distinct and non-overlapping substantive areas – for example a different sector, or area of focus. Institutions can, also, be involved in more than one bid as a collaborative partner.

Full proposals must be submitted via the Joint Electronic Submission System (Je-S) by 16.00, 8 October 2013.

Enquiries relating to technical aspects of the Je-S form should be addressed to:

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Pre-announcement of two pending calls for an Administrative Data Research Network (ADRN)

Following the publication of the Administrative Data Taskforce report Improving Access for Research and Policy (PDF, 1.1Mb), the ESRC will be inviting proposals for a major investment in the new Administrative Data Research Network (ADRN).

There will be two forthcoming calls; one for the Administrative Data Research Centres (ADRCs) in each of the four countries in the UK, and one for the Administrative Data Service (AD Service) for ADRCs. Applications will be invited from research organisations eligible for Research Council Funding.

Applicants should be aware that the ESRC is currently in discussion with the statistical authorities in the UK to confirm their role in the new Network – with anticipation that they may become commissioning partners with the ESRC.

Full details on both calls will become available on 11 June 2013, as soon as final versions of the specifications are confirmed. The deadline for submission of the Je-S form was 16.00 4 July 2013.

Potential applicants might be interested in registering to attend a Bidders’ Information Event that will be held in the Royal Society, London, 13 June 2013. Those interested in attending this event should pre-register their details:

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Establishment of ‘Social Science of the Nexus’ Network Plus

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has recently undertaken a consultation exercise to identify the social science research priorities that emerge from a holistic assessment of the interrelated challenges of energy, environment and food security. This exercise has identified an interconnected set of social science challenges - the Social Science of the Nexus - from which ESRC, working with a range of partners, will be taking forward a programme of research and capacity-building.

The first of these activities is designed to forge links between research activities addressing the challenges of the Social Science of the Nexus. ESRC wants to establish a Network Plus (NW+) to build connected ‘nexus thinking’ capacity and leadership for the social sciences in identifying and addressing the challenges of the Energy-Environment-Food Nexus. The call is for a single Network Plus (NW+) to last for 36 months that will bring together researchers from across the Nexus funded to the level of up to £1.875 million (100 per cent fEC)) over 36 months.

A Network Plus plays a strategic role in ensuring that research is both of excellent academic quality AND is aligned with user needs. It plays a key role in reaching out to potential users, interacting with them and providing them with access to research, ensuring research addresses questions that are relevant to them, and uses the concepts and language that users understand and can apply. This is intended to be very different to the traditional process of dissemination which occurs after the research has finished. Instead, with a Network Plus, the research communities’ engagement with research users is at its highest before the main body of research begins, and research users often play an active role in research design and its co-production. A Network Plus has a further strategic contribution in bringing together research teams working on different contributory areas, whether or not funded by ESRC, to foster the sharing and integration of research activities and findings, and to support the development of joined-up and usable new thinking.

The NW+ will have open, interdisciplinary membership, and will engage a wide range of relevant stakeholders, from academia, business, policy, civil society and other sectors. The NW+ will engage, build and support a new research community, drawing on existing and future investments both within and beyond ESRC's portfolio. To enable this, the funding for the NW+ includes placement and pilot project allocations.

ESRC is holding a meeting on 2 September 2013 in London at the Hooke Room, 76 Portland Place for researchers interested in responding to the call for proposals for a Nexus Network Plus.

Although attendance at the event is not mandatory, it will be an opportunity to hear more about the background to the Network Plus and the network ESRC wish to develop and how to formulate responses to the call.

To attend register your interest by responding to the call email: esrcnexusnetworkplus@esrc.ac.uk

The deadline for registration was 19 August. If demand is too high for the meeting, then ESRC will ask your organisation to prioritise who attends.

We would appreciate it if you also provide a short note on your research interests and expertise and how you feel you could contribute to the Network Plus. There will be a limit on audience numbers and this note, together with information on coverage across institutions and expertise, will be helpful if we do need to make any judgements on event allocations. The note will also be something we would want to share with other participants at the event to assist with the development of new relationships to address the agenda planned for the network.

Contact:

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ECMC Network website launched

The Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMC) Network launched its web presence today at www.ecmcnetwork.org.uk.

The ECMCs network is a major joint initiative between Cancer Research UK and the Departments of Health in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to drive the development of biomarkers and new anti-cancer treatments. The network funders will invest £35 million into the initiative, launched in October 2006 over the next five years. The network comprising 19 centres of scientific and clinical excellence aims to speed up development of translational research by evaluating new drugs and individualising patient treatment.

The network's web presence is part of the centres efforts to communicate their research focus and activities to their peers as well as cancer patients and the general public. The website also links to details of clinical trials being co-ordinated by scientists based at one of the 19 centres.

For more information about the ECMC Network, visit the ECMC website.

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