The Challenge Ahead

Dr Alan Gillespie, Chair of the ESRC

Our societies are becoming more complex. Humankind is expanding, pushing the boundaries both of nature and culture. Knowledge about our world is becoming ever more important; the need to know - about society, about how we behave, interact and develop. Social sciences have become crucial in delivering knowledge about our manmade, ever-changing world.

The breadth of knowledge that social science delivers is overwhelming, from the level of each individual to the global community, from deep studies of particular events to longitudinal studies stretching over decades. UK social science is at the forefront globally in providing new and crucial evidence, supporting policy and practice in all areas of society.

As events over the last year have shown, human behaviour and interaction have a massive impact on our world. Social sciences strive to analyse and explain how society works, why we choose our particular actions and what kind of effect these actions have. Today's difficult economic conditions make investments in world-class social science research all the more important. As well as uncovering the causes and mechanisms involved in the collapse of financial markets, research can provide the means - knowledge, innovation and economic impact - for moving out of the recession.

In order to address the issues facing our society, we need a clear strategy for our social science research. The new ESRC Strategic Plan outlines the major research challenges ahead. They cover important aspects of our society - such as economy, environment, health, behaviour, security, innovation and social diversity. In each area we aim to stimulate research and create new knowledge with clear benefits to society.

Delivering the benefits of research is a core part of what we do. We are increasingly looking to maximise the impact of social science research in all parts of society, such as the public sector, business, voluntary organisations and the research community itself. This is why the Strategic Plan will measure success by looking at five different impact objectives for ESRC-funded research - impacts through world-class social science research, through skilled people, world-class infrastructure, partnerships and international leadership.

I believe that the ESRC Strategic Plan provides a good road map for research over the next five years. By identifying key research areas and indicators of impact it focuses our strategic research efforts where they are needed in these uncertain times. The world is changing. Our job is to find out why, how and what it means.