About us
We are the UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues. We support independent, high quality research which has an impact on business, the public sector and the third sector. At any one time we support over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and independent research institutes.
We are a non-departmental public body established by Royal Charter in 1965 and receive most of our funding through the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Our research is vigorous and authoritative, as we support independent, high-quality, relevant social science.
What we do
Information about ESRC, including our history, mission and priorities, funding and training activities.
Governance and structure
Find out about ESRC's organisational structure and how we are governed.
Strategy and priorities
Find out about our strategic research priorities and how we review them.
Policies and standards
ESRC policies on issues such as equality, freedom of information, data security, research ethics and transparency.
Our research
We fund a wide range of research, from individual projects to centres, programmes and ventures.
Contact us
Contact details for teams and individuals within ESRC, and directions to our office.