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Research Committee: Terms of Reference

Role of the Research Committee

Operation of the Research Committee

Background

1. The UK Energy Research Centre was established by the Research Councils in 2004 to undertake activities aimed at improving the cohesion of the UK's overall energy research effort and to conduct its own programme of whole systems interdisciplinary research. UKERC is a distributed Centre operated by a consortium of eight core partners with its headquarters hosted by Imperial College.

2. The Research Councils have made an award for a second phase of UKERC running from May 2009 – April 2014. In Phase I, UKERC ran an interdisciplinary studentship competition supporting, on average, seven new studentships per year. These studentships could be held at any higher education institution in the UK meeting the relevant research council criteria. The studentship competition will continue in Phase II but at a slightly lower level. In addition, around 40% of UKERC's total funding for research will be allocated through what were known as "flexibility arrangements" during the Phase II bidding process. Under these arrangements, specific projects will be offered, on a competitive basis, to the wider research community. The "flexibility arrangements" will be branded as the "UKERC Research Fund".

3. In view of this wider participation in UKERC's research programme, UKERC is establishing a Research Committee, comprising members of the UKERC core consortium and external members, to help guide its research activities. The Committee will be constituted as a sub-committee of the existing strategic external Advisory Board. This documents sets out the context for the Research Committee's work, the tasks it will undertake, its operation and membership arrangements. The Research Committee will play an important role in developing UKERC Phase II in line with the Special Terms and Conditions set by the Research Councils (attached as Annex A).

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UKERC Research Fund

4. The aims of the Research Fund are:

to bring a wider range of researchers and disciplines into UKERC's research programme
to ensure that the best science is used to deliver the programme
to allow the programme to develop flexibly in the light of new scientific insights or external developments

5. The Research Fund will support work that is an integral part of UKERC's overall research programme. UKERC will therefore issue targeted call for proposals for work which will form an integral part of its programme rather than general, responsive mode, type calls within the broad area of energy. The invitations will specify the objectives of the research, the extent to which it is expected to build research capacity and the contribution it is expected to make to UKERC's research programme. Bids may be rooted within an individual discipline but will be expected to contribute to UKERC's interdisciplinary research effort.

6. It is expected that there will be four rounds of funding starting in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. This will allow UKERC to respond to changing circumstances and build on the analytical tools and approaches developed early in Phase II. We would expect individual research projects to run from between one and three years. Consortium bids, as well as those from individuals or single institutions, would be considered. Bidders must be eligible to hold research council awards.

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Role of the Research Committee

7. The Research Committee will:

monitor the overall progress of UKERC's research programme
advise UKERC management on research strategy
advise UKERC management on the specification of the annual call for research proposals to the Research Fund
advise UKERC management on the fitness of proposals selected through peer review in terms of meeting the objectives of UKERC's overall research programme
oversee the annual studentship competition and select the successful applicants

8. The Research Committee will not directly conduct peer review of proposals made to the Research Fund. Proposals will be peer-reviewed by members of the Research Councils' peer review colleges. Peer reviewers will be selected by UKERC management and a designated Research Council officer. The Research Council officer will convene a Moderating Panel to consider the peer review comments and recommend funding support.

9. Exceptionally, UKERC management retains the right not to support the top-ranked projects recommended by the Moderating Panel should these not fit adequately with the overall research programme. The Research Committee will advise UKERC management on the fitness of proposals.

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Operation of the Research Committee

10. The Research Committee will meet at least twice per year.

11. The Research Committee may form sub-committees or panels to take forward specific tasks, such as selecting interdisciplinary studentships.

12. UKERC headquarters will provide secretariat support for the Research Committee.

13. Members of the Research Committee will not be remunerated but will have travel and subsistence expenses covered.

14. Members of the Committee and their employing institutions will not be precluded from submitting applications to the Research Fund or studentship competition but normal Research Council procedures for handling conflicts of interest will apply, i.e. members would not participate in discussions relating to proposals from their home institutions.

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Membership of the Research Committee

15. The Research Committee will have up to twelve members comprising:

a Chair who will be a member of UKERC's Advisory Board
UKERC management (the Research and Executive Directors)
Up to two further members of UKERC's Directorate
At least five and up to seven members of the UK science community
At least one and up to three other individuals who represent the international science community or wider stakeholder groups

16. Members of the Research Committee will be appointed as follows:

The Chair: by the UKERC Advisory Board
Directorate members: by the Directorate
Others individuals: by UKERC management in consultation with the Advisory Board. Representatives of the UK science community will be appointed following a competitive process

17. The criteria for selecting representatives of the UK science community will include:

a distinguished scientific record with an established international reputation
demonstrated experience of and empathy with interdisciplinary research approaches
knowledge or experience that is relevant to the energy sector
match against areas of expertise required to constitute a balanced membership

Reflecting UKERC's interdisciplinary approach, membership of the Committee will represent a wide range of disciplines including: physical science; biological science, environmental science; engineering; social science; and economics.

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Annex: Membership of the UKERC Research Committee 2009-2011

Nick Hartley (Chair), OXERA, economist, former Head of the Cabinet Office Energy Review
Prof Dick Eiser, University of Sheffield, psychologist whose specialisms include risk perception
Dr Jim Halliday, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, environmental science and engineering, currently managing UKERC's Energy Research Atlas function
Prof Nick Jenkins, Cardiff University, electrical engineer, specialising in energy networks and renewables
John Loughhead, UKERC Executive Director
Prof Dennis Loveday, Loughborough University, building physics, with interests in building energy performance and thermal comfort
Prof Mercedes Maroto-Valer, University of Nottingham, chemical and environmental engineering, specialising in carbon capture and storage and clean fossil energy
Dr Karsten Neuhoff, Cambridge University – from October, Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (German Institute for Economic Research – DIW), economist
Prof Jim Skea, UKERC Research Director
Prof Colin Snape, University of Nottingham, Professor of Chemical Technology and Chemical engineering
Prof Gail Taylor, University of Southampton and Imperial College, plant biologist and environmental scientist specialising in bioenergy
Dr Dan van der Horst, University of Birmingham, environmental geographer specialising in natural resource management including social and spatial aspects