Minutes of the 279th meeting of Council 28 April 2017 MRC, London

Transcription

1 Minutes of the 279th meeting of Council 28 April 2017 MRC, London Present: Dr Alan Gillespie (Chair) Professor Jane Elliott (Chief Executive and Deputy Chair) Professor Simon Collinson (Evaluation Champion) Mr John Headley (Audit Committee Chair, Observer) Dr James Richardson Professor Judith Squires (Capability Committee Chair) Professor L Alan Winters (Research Committee Chair) Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell Professor Jane Falkingham Professor Melinda Mills Professor Nigel Gilbert Ms Susan Penwarden Representing the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills: Dr Stephen Axford Apologies: : Mr Martin Rosenbaum Ms Karin Woodley Dr Fiona Armstrong (Deputy Director for Business Improvement and Organisational Change) Ruth Gibson (Deputy Director for Capability and Infrastructure) Dr Lucy Martin (Strategic Lead Research Resources and Big Data) item 10 only Professor Tony McEnery (Director of Research) Dr Paul Meller (Head of Strategy Secretary to ESRC Council) Dr Tom Roberts (Deputy Head of Strategy Assistant Secretary to ESRC Council - Minutes) Mr Phil Sooben (Director of Policy) These minutes do not necessarily reflect the order in which items were discussed. 1. Welcome and apologies Oral 1.1 The Chair welcomed Council members to the 279 th meeting of Council, including the four new members who had recently been recruited Professor Jane Falkingham, Professor Nigel Gilbert, Professor Melinda Mills and Ms Susan Penwarden. The Chair also welcomed Ruth Gibson, recently appointed as ESRC s Deputy Director of Capability and Data Infrastructure, to her first Council meeting. 1

2 1.2 Apologies were noted from Mr Martin Rosenbaum and Ms Karin Woodley. 2. Minutes of the 278 th meeting held on 10 February 2017 CP 13/ The minutes were agreed as an accurate record of the 278 th meeting of Council, held on 10 February 2017, and the additional meeting of Council held on 14 March Matters arising Oral 3.1 Members were updated on the status of the matters arising from the previous meeting which were not covered elsewhere on the agenda. It was noted that the matters arising had either been completed or were due to be brought back to a future meeting. 4. Chair s Business Oral 4.1 The Chair congratulated Professor Jane Elliott and Mr Phil Sooben on their new roles as Professor of Sociology at the University of Exeter and CEO of the Political Studies Association respectively. It was noted that Professor Elliott would attend her final Council meeting in July 2017, but that this was Mr Sooben s final meeting. The Chair thanked Mr Sooben on behalf of Council for his 28 years of service and wished him well in his new role. Members noted that the advertisement for the ESRC Executive Chair had been issued in advance of purdah and that the application process would continue over that period. 4.2 The Chair provided an update on the likely transition plans to the new Council under UKRI. It is currently envisaged that the new Council would be established in time for April 2018 and will run concurrently with the current Council until October 2018 to ensure the required governance and assurance remains in place whilst the full transition to UKRI is made. It was noted that the precise roles of both Councils in this period is not yet clear and that further information on extensions to current Members terms would follow after the General Election. It was noted that there would be an open recruitment process for the new Council and any existing members of Council, including those recently recruited, would need to apply. The Chair encouraged members to do so, in part to aid continuity between the two bodies. 4.3 Members requested that the purdah guidance issued to the ESRC be forward to all Council Members. 5. Chief Executive s Business CP 14/17 2

3 5.1 Professor Elliott outlined the structure of the senior team at the ESRC and plans for recruitment of a new Director of Strategy to add to this team alongside the new Executive Chair. It was noted that the aim would be to complement the expertise of Professor McEnery, in particular around the Industrial Strategy, and that the post would be advertised following the General Election. 5.2 Members noted the range of business conducted by the CEO over the past three months as outlined in CP 14/ Report CP 15/ Professor Elliott introduced this item and highlighted a selection of updates presented in the report. 6.2 Members noted the update on ESRC s current priorities at Annex 1 to CP 15/17 and agreed that it was a helpful new reporting format. Members requested that for future iterations they would like more information on the timescales for spend under each priority, linking the milestones to budgets more explicitly. Members also suggested broadening out the use of this format for other parts of the Report. The agreed to include more information on budgets and consider incorporating other areas into a similar format. Members also noted progress with the Brexit priority, including the successful commissioning of urgency grants. Discussion followed around the importance and challenge of maintaining impartiality in these debates, and UK in a Changing Europe and the Future of the UK and Scotland initiatives were noted as good examples of how these challenges had been navigated in the past. 6.3 Members also noted the progress of funding of the UK Data Service and that funding had now been approved by the BEIS capital board, though subject to figures in 2019/20 and 2020/21 being indicative only, and that no figures could be given for 2021/2022 due to it being beyond the current Spending Review period. 6.4 Members expressed interest in the Open Innovation Partnership and positive feedback was noted from both the Universities of Bath and Southampton of their involvement to date. It was agreed that it would be useful to know how successful this initiative has been and that an update should be provided at the next meeting of Council. 6.5 The outcomes of the Grant Assessment Panels (GAPs) were highlighted and interest was expressed in the GAP process, and particularly the process for feeding back issues highlighted at the GAPs to Research Committee and Council. Members were encouraged to attend future 3

4 GAPs as a way of understanding a core part of ESRC s business. Members were also asked to advocate the use of ESRC s Secondary Data Analysis Initiative, applications for which are routed through the GAPs, in order to support an increase in application numbers. 6.6 Members discussed a number of international activities, including the plans for the fifth round of the Open Research Area scheme. It was noted that the way ORA had been established minimized risks around Brexit and that in previous rounds there has been involvement from Japan, Canada and the US. The collaboration of the ESRC and the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) through the Newton Fund was also noted as a positive step, though members highlighted previous experience of Newton panels in India being challenging and affecting the overall process. Professor McEnery reassured members that the link to ICSSR through the EQUIP programme meant that issues around peer review and panel processes were being addressed and that the office would continue to engage with them in the build up to the call. 7. Financial Report CP 16/ Mr Sooben provided an overview of the ESRC s outturn position for 2016/17. It was noted that the final budget was more or less balanced despite some fluctuations in year-end estimates over previous months. The exchange with BBSRC was also highlighted and it was noted that funds would be returned to ESRC in 2018/ Members noted the specific issues around ESRC s capital budget, with the allocation for future years insufficient to cover ESRC s current capital portfolio. Council also noted current uncertainties both in terms of the indicative nature of allocations from 2018/19 due to the move to UKRI and the possibility of a Spending Review following the General Election. However, Council also discussed the opportunities of UKRI to provide both more flexibility in moving funds between Councils and in addressing the current inconsistent allocation of programme and capital funds. 8. Committee Reports CP 17/ Council noted the summaries of the Capability and Research Committee meetings which took place on 20 and 24 March Professor Alan Winters highlighted a number of key discussions had at the Research Committee meeting including around proposed revision to ESRC s Centres policy, which Research Committee members had endorsed, though with requests to consider carefully the resource 4

5 (financial and staff) that would be needed to implement it. Professor Winters also highlighted the proposed review of ESRC s peer review process. Council agreed that this was an important area for ESRC and the Research Committee to engage with, particularly given that social science research has much to offer in terms of understanding the behaviours and incentives that underpin the peer review system. It was noted that there were a number of other international models which should also be considered as part of the review. Members noted that one of the issues in the current system was a tendency toward conservatism. However, it was noted that there was a potential trade-off between the changes needed to address this and the need to maintain the robustness of the current model. Members agreed that broader and more radical approaches should be considered as part of the scope of the review, taking into account examples of other international models raised at the meeting. It was agreed that Professor Winters and Mr Neathey should discuss reshaping and scoping the work for Research Committee and the on peer review. In the context of the update on the What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth, members also expressed an interest in the development of the other What Works Centres and it was agreed that an update should be brought to the next Council meeting. AW/ 8.2 Professor Squires provided an update on discussions at the Capability Committee and in particular items on the methods portfolio and Q-Step. Council agreed that it was sensible to consider the future and role of ESRC s investment in methods and that it was timely to conduct an audit that captures the variety of places where methodological innovation happens. 8.3 Mr Headley provided a summary of the main discussions at the Audit Committee held on 3 April 2017, highlighting that function of ESRC Audit Committee would change substantially over the next year as UKRI was established and some of ESRC s legal responsibilities transferred to the new body. Members also noted the Audit Committee feedback on the ESRC Strategic Risk Register which was presented to Council for approval. Council approved the Strategic Risk Register though noted it needed constant review given that a number of the risks were live. 9. Update on UKRI CP 18/ Mrs Hilary Reynolds, RCUK Executive Director, joined the meeting for this 5

6 item. Professor Elliott introduced this item, noting that Royal Assent had just been given for the Higher Education Research Bill (now Act) and that UKRI was therefore still on track to be established in April Dr Armstrong then highlighted a number key points around the transition to UKRI, including the recruitment of the UKRI Board and senior appointments that had now been made, and that a focus must remain on conducting business as usual whilst the transition is in progress. Dr Armstrong also noted the need for a continued, compelling case for social science in the lead up to UKRI and for there to be senior advocates for this case within the Council. It was also noted that this case could and should relate to the early indications of foci for UKRI, including issues around place and skills. Hilary Reynolds highlighted that the crucial focus in 2017/18 is the docking of Councils to UKRI and of the current collective processes of Councils (RCUK) into processes of UKRI. Council noted that there was a significant operational effort and focus to the move to UKRI alongside the broader strategic objectives. 9.2 Members discussed the importance of the senior team and Council in making the case for social science in this period. It was argued that the ESRC should position itself to showcase how the social sciences can make a difference, including to business through their emphasis on issues around behaviour, business models and consumption. Council also gave a steer for ESRC to identify areas where it can lead and be proactive in taking things forward now rather than waiting for UKRI to develop policies and proposals. It was argued that this will require ESRC to be very clear about the social science offer and role in critiquing and challenging rather than simply understanding issues. Members agreed that continuing to make the case for the role of social science was key and the proposal to establish a subgroup of Council to support the transition of ESRC to UKRI was endorsed. It was agreed that the group should be comprised of Professor Simon Collinson, Professor Jane Falkingham and Mr Martin Rosenbaum. 9.3 Given the importance of these issues and the likely increased pace of development of UKRI over the next year, Council requested that updates on relevant developments in the transition to UKRI be communicated to Council between meetings. Mrs Hilary Reynolds left the meeting at this point. 10. Business Critical Investments: Administrative Data Research Network CP 19/ Mr Paul Jackson and Dr Lucy Martin joined the meeting at this point. Professor Elliott introduced this item and Paul Jackson, the ADRN 6

7 Strategic Data Negotiator. Dr Lucy Martin provided an update on the progress of ADRN against the data acquisition plan, noting that one third of approved projects now had access to data. Mr Paul Jackson provided an overview of his work as Strategic Data Negotiator, including the main barriers to sharing data and his plans to overcome them. It was reiterated that the current model of create and destroy was wasteful and counterproductive in terms of resource and engagement with Departments, and that it must change if the ADRN was to succeed. The Chair asked Professor Jane Falkingham and Mr Paul Jackson to recuse themselves ahead of the discussion for this item to avoid any conflicts of interest Council noted the positive context of the passing of the Digital Economy Act, Mr Jackson s progress and plans, and that the number of projects with access to data was increasing. However, it was noted that the issues around governance and leadership remained and that much of the project progress was due to the devolved administrations rather than UK government departments. Council discussed the potential future model for investment in research access to administrative data and the possible greater role for ONS. It was agreed that empowering a Transition Board to consider whether and how to move to a new model post September 2018 was sensible and also noted the potential to consider this in the broader context of UKRI and investment in big data. It was agreed that a clear project plan for the transition and the work of the Transition Board was needed. The was asked to send an update paper to Council on progress with establishing the ADRN Transition Board in advance of the meeting in July. It was also agreed that a representative from a government department data owner should be included on the Transition Board. REDACTED Dr Lucy Martin left the meeting at this point. 11. Urban Transformation CP 20/ Professor Michael Keith joined the meeting for this item. The Chair welcomed Professor Michael Keith, co-ordinator of the ESRC urban transformations portfolio and Director of the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society at the University of Oxford. 7

8 Professor Keith gave a broad overview of the Urban Transformations Portfolio and the importance of further social science involvement, and leadership, in this area. Potential future funding through the GCRF and ISCF was noted alongside the potential for ESRC to lead investment around Urban Living if established again under UKRI. Council noted the update and highlighted potential connections to other current and planned priorities such as productivity and the availability of data to address questions of economic challenges in particular regions (such as that being collected by the ESRC funded Urban Big Data Centre). Professor Michael Keith left the meeting at this point. 12. Global Challenges Research Fund CP 21/ Professor McEnery provided an overview of ESRC s engagement with the Global Challenges Research Fund. Council noted the clear positives for ESRC and in particular the success of the social science community in the GCRF GROW call, with a third of awards being social science led. The recommended themes for the next phase of ESRC GCRF spend, new challenges for economic growth, education and mental health, were endorsed. However, members reiterated the Research Committee feedback that there needed to be a clear focus within these areas for each call, but that this must not be at the expense of the principle of tackling broad, global challenges. The Chair asked for Professor McEnery s presentation to be circulated to Members for additional context and information. 13. Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund CP 22/ Professor McEnery introduced this item and highlighted that ESRC had fed into the Industrial Strategy Green Paper consultation through the RCUK response. It was also noted that there had been some success for ESRC in the initial funds committed through the National Productivity Investment Fund both in terms of a studentship allocation and large grant award being taken forward (though it was noted that the latter was still to be confirmed). Council agreed that the 60 studentships awarded to ESRC were an important determining allocation for the future. It was also suggested that ESRC should be working with EPSRC to ensure that some of their larger allocation of studentships are working at the boundaries with the social sciences. Members endorsed the proposed next steps in terms of a focus on 8

9 services as a sector, the social science contribution to the first themes being taken forward, as well as developing longer term plans for the other potential ISCF themes in future phases. Members discussed the lessons that might be learned from the first phase of the Industrial Strategy Challenge fund and noted in particular that ways of improving the engagement of social science researchers and investments with business needed to be found. It was suggested that this could be a topic for the Research Committee to consider. 14. Longitudinal Studies Review (including Life Study Lessons Learned Action Plan) CP 23/ Members noted the update on the Longitudinal Studies Review and link of this to wider discussions around ESRC s investment in data infrastructure. It was noted that key elements of the Life Study Lessons Learned report had been incorporated into the Longitudinal Studies Review. Members noted that a final review report was due to Council at their meeting in February Any Other Business Oral 15.1 No other business was raised. 16. Date of the next meeting Oral 16.1 The Chair noted that the next meeting of Council was due to be held on 14 July 2017 at the MRC in London. 17. Collective Assessment of Council Performance CP 24/ ESRC staff left the room for this item, with the exception of the CEO. Dr Gillespie introduced the paper which outlined the findings from a survey of Council members to reflect on Council s effectiveness and invited members to suggest areas for improvement. A separate note is available of this item. 9