Programmes and Grants at the Nuffield Foundation

www.nuffieldfoundation.org

Programmes and Grants

at

the Nuffield Foundation

Sharon Witherspoon

Deputy Director



Endowed charitable trust, annual spend £11 million

General objective:

‘the advancement of social well-being, particularly by means of scientific

research’

The Nuffield Foundation


Main Areas of Activity

Social research, social science and social policy

Education

Science (mainly new capacity and some areas of science policy, especially Bioethics)


Research Funding by Charities

Picture is dominated by medical research funding. Wellcome Trust £550m pa. (about £30m Social Science & Humanities)

Fund raising charities (eg Cancer Research UK at £200m pa; BHFn at £75m pa)

See AMRC website. www.amrc.org.uk

Only a few Foundations fund non-medical research, e.g., Nuffield, Leverhulme, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn, Paul Hamlyn, Sutton Trust.

New context of government cuts in higher education, research councils, government social research spending.

For information on non-medical Foundations see ACF website. www.acf.org.uk


Context I: Tough Times

Cuts in central spending on Universities (teaching and research) and research councils of uncertain magnitude but large (after decade of growth)

Concern over concentration in research:

- Protection of infrastructure important (especially QM and empirical studies)

- But social science excellence can be dispersed

Consideration of effects on research and on teaching/training


Context II: Social Science Evidence and Public Benefit

Impact Agenda:- Wider ‘public benefit’ - Incentives for institutional support, NOT every project- Longer-term benefit- Want vigorously to promote view that social science evidence

matters: - for policy, practice, public understanding and debate

Important criteria for choice of funding:

- Is it important?- What will be done with findings by whom:

- Various models- But serious and concrete discussion expected


Grant Programmes

For Social Research & Policy or Practice Innovation

- Self-contained, usually larger grants

- Implications for policy or practice in short or medium term

- Grants of £10k - £300k (larger grants over more than one year)


Grant Programmes

Engagement with real world:- Implications for policy or practice – “Impact”

Both practical projects and research:- Critical synthetic reviews, pulling together evidence- Evaluation- Self-contained research projects

Methodological rigour:- NO preference for any one method

- But methodology must be appropriate

Responsive – NOT REACTIVE – mode:- We commission some projects- And have areas of special interest

www.nuffieldfoundation.org10

Key Criteria: Questions Trustees ask

Is the topic important and of interest to the Foundation?

Are the results of wider interest, or ‘fancy that’ research?

Is the research design rigorous and appropriate?Methodology of highest standard, apt for questions being asked?

Is the right sort of team assembled?

Does project have implications for policy or practice?

Does the plan for communication back this up?


University overheads are NOT fundedExcept in exceptional circumstances (i.e. commissioned work)

Relatively flexible view of direct costsIncludes secretarial support, 100 % of all directly-related costs, except estate costs for PIs

PI Costs (largely) includedWant adequate senior time but no gaming of system

Budgets are scrutinised

No one way of working with grantholders: Often use advisory committees, have closer involvement, if we can add value

Research & Innovation Funding


Full economic costs: PI salaries

Salary limit of £75k p.a.

Up to ½ day a week: not eligible

½ day to 2 days: eligible, but describe what you will do (quantum judged by peer reviewers and Trustees)

Over 2 days: special case, including relief from teaching and administration

REMEMBER: The Foundation pays 100% of eligible costs but NO overheads (‘indirect costs’)


Areas of Special Interest

Social Research and Innovation

Children and families £1,000k pa

Law in Society £600k pa

“Open Door” £1,400k pa

Education £ 1,200k pa

Foundations for learning (language, maths in early years)

Science and maths curriculum and teaching

Secondary school transitions


Wide ranging interests: – Ensuring social policy takes account of what we know

about child development, especially for vulnerable children

– Child welfare in broader institutional context: child care; early years; education policy;

– Children growing up in adverse conditions, including child protection and placement

– Family law : Legal, financial and family aspects of divorce and separation, cohabitation, child support

– Changing Adolescence Programme

Children and Families Programme


Law in Society

Mainly empirical studies

Administrative justice

Tribunals, ombudsmen and non-court forms of dispute resolution

Enforcement: what happens after adjudication

Mental health and welfare law

Cross-national comparisons, especially European comparisons


Open Door

Special Themes in:

Poverty, welfare and redistribution

Making better law: Scrutiny of law making, constitution

Older people: Financial circumstances and economic planning for later life (pensions and long-term care)

Independent reviews of current statutory provision across broad range of issues

In all areas, European comparisons are of special interest, as are cross-disciplinary approaches (e.g., cohabitation)


Grants for Research & Innovation: Application Procedure

Full details given in our Website www.nuffieldfoundation.org

Procedure:- 3 page outline- In-house scrutiny of full application- Referees: independent and peer review

but this may include experts other than academics- Decision by Trustees


II. Capacity-building programmes

- Each has own particular purpose

- Mainly social science, science, or Africa programme

- Not linked to policy or practice

- Changing context and concern over longer-term capacity


Science bursaries:

- School bursaries -- summer placements in labs etc

- Undergraduate bursaries – summer placements on research projects

- Oliver Bird post-graduate awards in rheumatology research

Other programmes

- Nuffield Africa Programme

Capacity-building programmes


Social Science Capacity-building (Current)

Small grants ONLY to Dec 17th: Awards up to £15,000

Aim to develop research capacity in areas of special interest to us:

− Children and families

− Education

− Law and society

− Older people and their finances

− Government, law-making and constitutional change

− Poverty and welfare, redistribution

− Cross national comparisons

− Reviews of government policy or practice


Social Science Capacity-building (2011)

New scheme under development for long-term capacity

Focus on QUANTITATIVE METHODS in areas OTHER than economics and psychology (social policy; family; law; etc)

Aimed at undergraduates and master’s students

Value added and innovation as key criteria

Centre funding: expect to spend £1.2m P.A. on 5-8 centres


‘the advancement of social well-being, particularly by means of

scientific research’


Documents

Programmes and Grants at the Nuffield Foundation