Research Councils UK (RCUK) and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) have signed a collaboration agreement that will ensure they continue to work together in priority areas to maximise the benefits delivered by public investment in research, innovation and technology.
The charter, which will initially last for three years, was signed at a meeting held on 29 January at the Ministry of Defence in London.
The agreement was signed on behalf of RCUK by Professor David Delpy, RCUK Impact Champion, and Jonathan Lyle, Chief Executive for Dstl.
Welcoming the Charter, Professor Delpy said: “The Research Councils and Dstl already work very closely and this agreement will mean an even tighter focus on achieving impact from our work together.”
Jonathan Lyle, Chief Executive, Dstl said: “We want to access the Nation's very best science to help provide our Armed Forces with capability they need and we are delighted to be working even more closely with the Research Councils to achieve that. ”
The charter sets out the guiding principles of how closer working between the Research Councils and Dstl at senior and operational levels should be conducted. Through the charter the organisations aim to:
- better understand each other’s strategies, plans and drivers
- identify synergies and create opportunities for future joint funding of research, postgraduate training, facilities and infrastructure
- work together to demonstrate the impact and value of the science and technology they have invested in
- share best practice for joint working and harmonise procedures between Dstl and Research Councils.
EPSRC and Dstl also announced today that they will be providing £7.5 million in funding for two projects that have been successful in response to a joint call, Signal Processing in a Networked Battlespace, which was issued in February 2012.
The successful projects will investigate methods for dealing with the varied signals from sensors and other sources. They will devise better ways of distinguishing and analysing data in the fluid atmosphere of a combat space, both real and virtual.
Signal Processing Solutions for the Networked Battlespace EP/K014307/1 is to be led by Professor Jonathon Chambers at Loughborough University and will include academics from the universities of Cardiff, Strathclyde, Surrey, Loughborough.
Signal Processing 4 the Networked Battlespace EP/K014277/1 will be led by Professor Mike Davies from the University of Edinburgh supported by colleagues at Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University.
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Notes to editors
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Research Councils UK (RCUK) is the strategic partnership of the UK's seven Research Councils who annually invest around £3 billion in research. We support excellent research, as judged by peer review, that has an impact on the growth, prosperity and wellbeing of the UK. To maintain the UK’s global research position we offer a diverse range of funding opportunities, foster international collaborations and provide access to the best facilities and infrastructure around the world. We also support the training and career development of researchers and work with them to inspire young people and engage the wider public with research. To maximise the impact of research on economic growth and societal wellbeing we work in partnership with other research funders including the Technology Strategy Board, the UK Higher Education funding bodies, business, government, and charitable organisations. www.rcuk.ac.uk.
The seven UK Research Councils are:
- Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC);
- Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC);
- Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC);
- Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC);
- Medical Research Council (MRC);
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC);
- Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
- The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK’s main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC invests around £800 million a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone’s health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK. www.epsrc.ac.uk.
- The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) maximises the impact of science and technology (S&T) for the defence and security of the UK, supplying sensitive and specialist S&T services for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and wider government. It starts from the presumption that work should be conducted by external suppliers unless there is a clear reason for it to be done or led by Dstl. At present, around sixty percent of the approximately £400 million MOD non-nuclear defence research programme, managed through Dstl, goes to industry and academia to deliver. Dstl is a trading fund of the MOD, run along commercial lines. It is one of the principal government organisations dedicated to S&T in the defence and security field, with around 3,700 staff at its three main sites: Porton Down, near Salisbury, Portsdown West, near Portsmouth, and Fort Halstead, near Sevenoaks.