An independent panel of international experts has judged the UK’s e-Science Programme
as “world-leading”, citing that “investments are already empowering significant
contributions to wellbeing in the UK and the world beyond”.
The panel found the e-Science Programme to have had a positive economic impact,
especially in the important areas of life sciences and medicine, materials, and
energy and sustainability. Attractive to industry from its inception, the programme
has drawn in around £30 million from industrial collaborations, both in cash and
in-kind. Additionally it has already contributed to 138 stakeholder collaborations,
30 licences or patents, 14 spin-off companies and 103 key results taken up by industry
and early indications show there are still more to come.
The International Review of e-Science is a measure of how the best UK researchers
compare with the best researchers internationally. It was carried out by academics
and industrialists from outside the UK, who visited a number of research groups
as well as considering comprehensive supporting data.
Launched in 2001 by Research Councils UK (RCUK) and managed by the Engineering
and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the e-Science Programme was charged
with creating digital infrastructure and systems to enable large-scale research
collaboration. The ringfenced e-Science Core Programme was phased out after 2006,
with some support provided for continuation of key core activities after this date.
Universities have spoken positively about the Programme, with many pointing to
research programmes that would not have been possible without it, and stating that
digital economy programmes have moved beyond expectations.
Chair of the Review, Professor Dan Atkins from the University of Michigan, USA,
said: “The UK must now decide whether to create the necessary combination of financial,
organisational, and policy commitments to capitalise on their prior investments,
and to move to the next phase of building capability, growing adoption and achieving
competitive advantage.”
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Further information
Contact:
Jane Wakefield
RCUK Press and Communications Manager
Tel: 01793 444592
Notes for editors
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The RCUK e-Science Programme began in 2001 as a coordinated initiative
involving all the Research Councils and the then Department of Trade and Industry.
The e‑Science Core Programme was managed by the Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council (EPSRC) on behalf of all the Research Councils.
The e-Science Programme was ring-fence funded, allocated between an “e-Science
Core”—a matrix structure spanning all Councils—and the disciplinary Councils.
The e-Science Core was phased out after 2006, with some support provided for
core activities after this date.
E-Science is defined in this context as “research done through distributed
global collaborations enabled by the Internet, using very large data collections,
terascale computing resources and high performance visualisation. For further
information on the UK’s e-Science facilities and infrastructure see
www.nesc.ac.uk/nesc.
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The RCUK Review of e-Science took place in December 2009. The review
was organised by the EPSRC on behalf of all UK Research Councils, and in conjunction
with the learned societies, to provide an independent assessment of the quality
and impact of the UK e-Science programme. This is the first review of its kind
to encompass all seven research councils, making it truly multidisciplinary
in nature.
The Review Panel report and findings will be publicly launched at a ‘Town
Meeting’ on 9th February 2010 at the Royal Society of Arts, London. The Review
Panel’s report will be presented by the Chair of the Review, Professor Dan Atkins
from the University of Michigan, USA.
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Research Councils UK (RCUK) is the strategic partnership of the UK's
seven Research Councils. We invest annually around £3 billion in research. Our
focus is on excellence with impact. We nurture the highest quality research,
as judged by international peer review providing the UK with a competitive advantage.
Global research requires we sustain a diversity of funding approaches, fostering
international collaborations, and providing access to the best facilities and
infrastructure, and locating skilled researchers in stimulating environments.
Our research achieves impact – the demonstrable contribution to society and
the economy made by knowledge and skilled people. To deliver impact, researchers
and businesses need to engage and collaborate with the public, business, government
and the third sector.
www.rcuk.ac.uk