Research Councils UK (RCUK), has today announced the appointment of Raymond Prud'homme as Project Director for the implementation of the Research Councils’ Shared Services Centre (SSC). The SSC will deliver administrative support services to Councils' headquarters and institutes. It will begin operation in 2009.
Mr Prud'homme has more than two decades of experience of international management consultancy and operational experience working in the public and commercial sectors. He joins the Research Councils from T-Systems, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom which provides outsourced IT solutions. A Canadian citizen, he has established a number of SSCs from scratch and was responsible for establishing the first pan-European Shared Services Centre for a multi-national organisation in the mid-1990s.
The Chair of RCUK Executive Group, Professor Ian Diamond, speaking as the Senior Responsible Owner for the project, said: "The Research Councils' Shared Services Centre will bring together administrative processes from each Council into a single organisation to deliver an integrated, efficient and responsive service. Raymond Prud'homme's track record of delivering other key shared services and change management projects across the private and public sectors mean he is ideally placed to bring this project to fruition. We are expecting him to steer the SSC project as the business plan is refined and we physically establish the centre."
The Research Councils launched the SSC project earlier this year. It is designed to bring together the Councils' administrative services to deliver common, integrated processes with high levels of efficiency and responsiveness. The SSC approach will allow the Research Councils to increase harmonisation of processes and improve value for money and effectiveness.
- ends -
Contact
Research Councils UK Press Office
Matt Goode
Tel: 01793 413299
About the Research Councils
The eight Research Councils are independent non-departmental public bodies, funded by the Science Budget through the Office of Science and Innovation. They are incorporated by Royal Charter and together manage a research budget of over £2.5 billion a year.
Five of the eight Research Councils are based at Polaris House in North Star, Swindon. The Arts and Humanities Research Council is based at Lewins Mead, Bristol, the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils is based at Chilton, Oxfordshire and the Medical Research Council is based at Park Crescent, London.
Research Councils UK (RCUK) is the partnership between the UK's eight Research Councils. Through RCUK, the Research Councils work together to champion the research, training and innovation they support.
The partnership is led by the RCUK Executive Group, which meets monthly and comprises the chief executives of the eight Research Councils. The Group is currently chaired by Professor Ian Diamond, Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council.
The Research Councils discuss and coordinate common interests on performance and evaluation through the RCUK Performance and Evaluation Group.
The eight UK Research Councils are:
- Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC);
- Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC);
- Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC);
- Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC);
- Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC);
- Medical Research Council (MRC);
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC);
- Particle Physics & Astronomy Research Council (PPARC).