Title: Who funds data collection and why?
Course: UGQuants (SSPS) > Section: Beyond data collection and analysis

Who funds data collection and why?

Funding for research and data collection in the UK is provided by a diverse range of bodies. These bodies can be broadly grouped into four categories: research councils, government departments, trusts and charities, and commercial bodies. We will now consider each of these in turn.

Research Councils

The key source of research funding in the UK is provided by the UK Research Councils. The Research Councils support research, study and training across universities, other higher education institutions, their own institutes and international research centres. The Research Councils are themselves primarily funded by the UK Government’s science budget which is administered by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. It is important to note that although the Research Councils are government funded, they are independent in their selection of which research to support.

There are seven UK Research Councils:

 | - AHRC provides funding for the Arts and Humanities encompassing a diverse range of subjects including history, languages, law, English literature, performing arts and design. In addition, AHRC provides funding for museums, galleries and collections that are attached to higher education institutions.
 | - BBSRC provides funding to a range of research areas across the disciplines of biotechnology and biological science including healthier ageing, sustainable food production and harnessing biological sources of energy.
 | - ESRC funds research into economic and social issues encompassing a wide range of disciplines including economics, politics, anthropology, social policy and cognitive and developmental psychology.  The ESRC funded the development of these teaching materials!
 | - EPSRC funds research in engineering and full range of physical sciences, encompassing mathematics, physics, chemistry, materials, ITC and electronics.
 | - MRC funds research aimed at improving human health through scientific research and supports a wide range of research areas ranging from molecular level science to public health medicine.
 | - NERC funds environmental research, training, survey and monitoring in the marine, polar, atmospheric, earth, terrestrial and freshwater sciences.
 | - STFC was formed in 2007 following the merger of the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC) and the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC). STFC funds research in astronomy, particle physics and nuclear physics.