EPSRC & the Difficulty of 'National Importance'

I wrote last month about EPSRC's plan to include 'national importance' as a criterion for judging funding applications. At their Regional Event in London yesterday they gave a little more idea what they had in mind. However, it was clear that they were still (as Catherine Coates said) in 'listening mode', and were keen to get feedback on their proposals.

Since announcing their plans, EPSRC have taken time to try and pin down 'national importance'. It is currently envisaged as research that will have an impact in 10-50 years time, and that:

• is key to maintaining the health of other research disciplines;
• directly contributes to addressing key UK societal challenges;
• contributes to current or future UK economic success;
• enables future development of key emerging industries.

Whilst it might be tempting to dismiss this as too vague and too long term to be worth engaging with, I'd urge caution. After all, 'national importance' is now the second criterion after research quality, with impact, track record and resources/management trailing behind.

However, it will still be a challenge to put meat on these bones, and also to make the case for today's research being key to developments in fifty years time. Imagine if EPSRC had introduced this in the 1980s: the issues of national importance would have been the coming ice age and the threat from the Soviet Union. As for smart phones, Star Trek Communicators were as close as we got. And you couldn't even text on them. And that was only thirty years ago.

So looking into the future to predict national importance is tough. Moreover, even though this is the Number 2 criterion, it will have to jostle for space in the 'Case for Support.' It will not have a separate attachment, unlike the Number 3 criterion, impact.

And, whilst it's going to be tough for applicants to try and make the case for national importance, it's going to be every bit as hard for the peer reviewers to sift on this basis. This was clear when EPSRC got us to have a go, using abstracts from previously successful applications. We sat there, huddled around the abstracts, trying to second guess where the research might lead.

However, Paul Thompson rounded off the session by bringing a sense of perspective. There was already an expectation that applicants should make the case for the importance of their research; all the EPSRC were doing was making this explicit. As with impact, get others to have a look at your application, and get help from Research Services in identifying and framing national importance.

More Entrails Needed

A quick post to publicise the excellent Research Counselling, a cartoon website the focuses on the trials and tribulations of dealing with the Research Councils. I particularly liked this recent one, about forecasting your project's 'national importance' for the EPSRC.

Oh the cynicism!

The Mists Are Clearing...I See a Project of National Importance...

As ever, EPSRC is blazing a trail in developing new hurdles for potential applicants. Hot on the heels of controversially 'managing' its remit and 'managing' demand via its blacklist, the Council has just announced that, as of 15th November 2011, all applicants will have to identify the national importance of their research.

Yes, it's both Scientific Excellence AND national importance that will now be the primary assessment criteria. Impact, track record, resources and management will be secondary assessment criteria.

Reviewers and panel members have been issued with new assessment criteria/forms to reflect these changes. For applicants, the national importance section must now be included in the case for support.

Is that a collective groan I can hear from the sector? Having just got used to the concept of predicting their potential impact, they're now going to have to predict its importance.

I do like the amount of faith that EPSRC has in the visionary abilities of the scientists within its remit. I'm surprised, however, that they haven't put these abilities to better use and got them to predict the numbers for the National Lottery? It would be an excellent use of the collective brain power of EPSRC scientists if they could rustle up the Euromillions necessary to meet the 10% funding cut that resulted from the CSR flat settlement.