update on centres for doctoral training
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ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL. Update on Centres for Doctoral Training. Lucy Brady, Head of Research Careers Strategy, EPSRC. The current CSR features - EPSRC Picture. £1,940 million committed to our core business in Training, Knowledge Exchange and Research. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Update on Centres for Doctoral Training
ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL
Lucy Brady, Head of Research Careers Strategy, EPSRC
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The current CSR features - EPSRC Picture
Values are £m commitment 2008 - 11
£1,940 million committed
to our core business inTraining, Knowledge
Exchange and Research
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CDT launch event – 5 December 2008
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CDTs – a high volume new investment
Speaking at the launch in December 2008, Lord Drayson said:
“Britain faces many challenges in the 21st Century and needs scientists and engineers with the right
skills to find answers to these challenges. EPSRC’s doctoral training centres will provide a new wave of
engineers and scientists to do the job”.
£280m was invested in 2008 in 45 new centres* which will train over 2000 students over the next 5 years.
*now 50 full new centres totaling £304 million are in place
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CDT Portfolio by Area
CDT PORTFOLIO BY MISSION AREA64 FULL CENTRES (including one remaining Engineering Doctorate Centre and 14 original
Life Sciences Interface and Complexity Science Centres)
6, 9%
19, 30%3, 5%
15, 23%
14, 22% 7, 11%
Digital Economy Mission Energy Mission Industrial Doctoral Centres
Nanoscience Mission Research Base Cross-Disciplinary Interfaces
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Research Base CDTs by Programme area'RESEARCH BASE' CDTs BY PROGRAMME
15 new centres and 14 current centres in cross-disciplinary Interfaces including complexity science
16, 56%5, 17%
3, 10%
3, 10% 2, 7%
Cross Disciplinary Interfaces
Physical Sciences
Mathematical Sciences
Information and Communication Technologies
Materials, Mechanical and Medical Engineering
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EPSRC thoroughly reviewed its ‘Balance of People’ support by programme
during 2009
(studentships, postgraduates, early career, fellowships, established career)
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Number of people supported by EPSRC across the career path – current portfolio 2010
Current Portfolio -2010
Vacation Bursaries
5,983 Postdoctoral Researchers
90 Postdoctoral Fellows
1 Other
315 First Grants
3 EURY1
47 Career Acceleration Fellows
151 Fellows**
40 Leadership Fellows
18 Senior Fellows**
18 Other Senior Champions e.g. Research Chairs, Senior Media Fellows
4,315 students via Doctoral Training Accounts
2,910 Project Students
1234 students via Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT)
569 Industrial Case +503 ‘Other’
3,639 Research Grants 6,698 Unique Investigators (4,947 PIs and 6,685 Co-Is)
TotalTotal9,531
Total6,074
Total365
Total191
Total36
Undergraduate Postgraduate Postdoctoral Early Career Established Career
[+120 new SPSRC StF* & 350 Mission/User led CDT students starting annually from 2009]
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Balance of People Exercise - Postgraduate Training: Advice and Next Steps
Flexible provision that adds real value to the individual and allows widening of horizons – no automatic move to 4 year PhD.Better career advice pre-entry.Support for cohort approach to training – keep coverage provided by Centres for Doctoral Training under review.EPSRC statement of expectations of postgraduate training support and University statement of how EPSRC support is being used strategically.
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Encouraging Creativity - A possible approachCreativity@Home objectives
For the academic groups to:Learn about a range of creative problem solving tools and techniques and how this might help creativity in research.Explore the future research vision and cross-disciplinary opportunities in their group using these tools.Engage postdoctoral and postgraduate researchers in idea generation.Develop a cohort of trained people that have learnt creative problem solving techniques so that the approaches become embedded in their group, department, institution.
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Creativity@home OutcomesPositive impacts on participants (research managers, senior academics, post-docs, students….).
Imperial CDT – Wing-Chau’s experience.
What can EPSRC do to persuade other Centres to commit resources to this?
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What's Next?
The EPSRC ‘Strategic Plan’ for the next four
years was published in late March 2010.
Treasury announce results of the Spending
Review on 20 October 2010.
The EPSRC Delivery Plan (the ‘HOW’
document) will be published in early 2011.
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Evaluation framework
Aim to demonstrate the success of centres based on the original objectives of their strategic importance, international standing and training, supervision and management at host research organisations.
This includes the effect the centre is having on:
The students themselves and their subsequent careers
The host research organisation
The wider community nationally and internationally.
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Evaluation Framework – outline timetable
Review at 3 year point.
May 2011 – Reports sought.
July to September 2011 – Review panels /
interviews / visits as required to collect
information.
October 2011 – Feedback.
After experience of recruiting 3 full cohorts.
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The key questions at the review in 2011
Objectives and CDT operation?
Student outcomes (in and out)?
Taught components management?
Impact at host research organisation?
Wider impact outside the research
organisation?
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Some final thoughts:
How can Centres share their experience/benefits of the Centre/cohort approach to training more widely - within their Institutions, within their fields?
How can Centres share experience and successes amongst themselves and learn from each other most effectively?
What can Centres share and learn about exposing students to broader experiences and environments outside the host Institution?
Remember to share your successes with us!
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CENTRES FOR DOCTORAL TRAINING:
EPSRC contact points
Complexity Science Centres [Kedar Pandya]
Digital Economy Centres Helen Bailey
Energy Centres Samantha Riches
Industrial Doctoral Centres Jim Fleming
Life Science Interface Centres [Kedar Pandya]
Nanoscience Centres Chris Jones
Research Base Centres Steve Milsom
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Thank you for your attention
Questions and queries?
Monitoring and evaluation framework at:
www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/students/centres/framework/Pages/default.aspx