The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funds excellent research. The primary criterion is scientific quality. The ESRC expects its portfolio to include a diverse range of research encompassing, amongst other things, work based on single disciplines, research which combines disciplinary approaches, research focused on advancing scientific theory, and research aimed principally at developing practical applications.
As part of this portfolio, the ESRC wishes to encourage research applications which demonstrate one or more of innovation, interdisciplinarity and impact.
Innovation
The Council is keen to support research which is ambitious (but clearly specified) and has the potential for high scientific impact and/or high user impact. It also recognises that such research may carry a higher than normal risk of failing to deliver the full range of expected research outputs. Such research is likely to include one or more of the following characteristics:
- Research which is using innovative or even untested methods within the context of the particular project
- Research which is attempting to develop or to test and apply new theory
- Researchers without a proven track record in the area of the proposed research although they may have a strong track record in other areas
- Research which is complex in terms of its management and delivery because of its size or the dispersal of the research team/fieldwork
- Research which is investigating a potentially controversial or sensitive topic
- Research which involves multiple or unusual disciplinary combinations both within and beyond the social sciences
- Research where accessing or creating data or accessing research participants or other related research material could be highly problematic
- Research which challenges existing paradigms in respect of research ethics.
Interdisciplinarity
As part of its portfolio, the ESRC also expects to support new and exciting research which combines approaches from more than one discipline. The Council recognises that many of the most pressing research challenges are interdisciplinary in nature, both within the social sciences and between the social sciences and other areas of research. However, the Council also remains committed to the support of excellent research within a single discipline.
Impact
In line with the common position on Excellence with Impact adopted by RCUK, the ESRC expects that the researchers it funds will have considered the potential scientific, societal and economic impacts of their research. Applicants should actively consider how these can be maximised and developed through the Pathways to Impact document (formerly known as Impact Plan) in their application. This will form part of the peer review and assessment process. Opportunities for making an impact may arise, and should be taken, at any stage during or after the life-course of the research. It is important that researchers have in place a robust strategy for maximising the likelihood of such opportunities arising and their own capacity for taking advantage of these. Excellent research without obvious or immediate societal or economic impact will not be disadvantaged in the peer review and assessment process. Researchers who feel that this relates to their research should, however, use the Pathways to Impact document to explain their reasoning. ESRC shares and endorses the RCUK statement on Research Councils' expectations of researchers (PDF).