Mathematical Sciences Programme

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Mathematical Sciences Programme

• HoDoMs
• 12th April 2005

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CONTENT OF TALK

• Current Strategy 2004 - 2006
• 2005/06 activities
• Future Strategy 2006 onwards

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EPSRC Strategic Objectives

• Support world class research
• Develop talented scientists and engineers
• Support the knowledge economy
• Public engagement
• Effective and efficient operations

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Supporting World Class Research

• Responsive mode
• Portfolio of high quality, curiosity driven
  research
• Signposting e.g. Mathematics for business
• Managed activities
• Address strategic priorities
• Maintain coverage, particularly at interfaces
• ICMS, INI
• Centre of Multidisciplinary Critical Mass
• Novel Computation
• Maths/CS discipline hoppers
• Fellowships
• Springboard fellowships
• Senior/Advanced fellowships

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Developing talented scientists and engineers

• Doctoral Training Grants
• Life Sciences Interface Doctoral Training Centres
• Mathematics CASE
• LMS/RSS broadening courses
• First Grants
• Mathematics for engineers
• Postdoctoral fellowships
• Advanced fellowships

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Supporting the knowledge economy

• Mathematics CASE
• Mathematics for business
• Quantitative finance
• IDEAS Factory Productivity Sandpit

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Public Engagement

• Public engagement workshop
• Contribution towards funding for relevant
  Partnership for Public Awareness Awards
• Preparing follow on publications to Cutting Edge
  Mathematics

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Summary of Current strategy

• Fundamental role in supporting health of the
  discipline
• Support for young researchers
• Addressing skills shortages
• Emphasis on investments in people and responsive
  mode
• Encouraging adventure
• Connectivity with users in other academic
  disciplines and business is a priority
• Mainly delivered in partnership with other EPSRC
  programmes and RCs
• Public engagement

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Activities in 2005-2006
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Activities for 2005/06 (1)

• Fund
• 1 more MCM centre
• Quantitative Financial Risk Management Centre
• 12.5 equivalents statistics PhDs
• Maths/CS Discipline hopping closing date July
  05
• Springboard fellowships closing date Oct 05

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Springboard Fellowships

• The fellowships aim to promote
• Adventurous research
• Mobility
• Collaborative research with other
  disciplines/industry
• These aims can be satisfied by working either
• At the interface with another discipline
• With business or industry
• On a particularly innovative project or short
  term feasibility study.
• Outcomes of Fellowships
• Provide a springboard for future research new
  ideas and ways of working
• Future collaborations and proposals

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Examples of Springboards Funded in the Last Call

• At the interface with another discipline
• Fellow with a background in integrable systems to
  spend 12 months working in the computer science
  department learning about artificial immune
  systems.
• On a particularly innovative project
• Fellow with a background in set theory and logic
  will be spending a year developing mathematical
  methods for analysing some of the theories of
  truth in collaboration with philosophers at
  Oxford University
• With business or industry
• Fellow with a background in linear algebra will
  be working in industry to expand her portfolio of
  numerical analysis experience into PDE modelling
  of liquid crystals.

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Activities for 2005/06 (2)

• Interdisciplinary Workshop/Network Call closing
  date Nov 05
• Workshop in Complexity Feb 06?
• Fellowships SF, AF and PDF closing date Oct
  05
• Mathematical Sciences CASE Project closing date
  Dec 05
• Mathematical Sciences DTG exercise closing
  date Oct 05

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Proposed Research budget for 2005/06 (pre-FEC)
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Future Strategy
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Governments Measurable Outputs

• Aim (10 Year Framework)
• Making the UK the most attractive place for
  science and innovation

• Output 1
• A healthy UK science and engineering base
• Aim Maximise the impact (of the Research
  Councils investment of the Science Budget) on
  maintaining and improving the UKs science and
  engineering base.

• Output 2
• Better exploitation
• Aim Increase the contribution made to improving
  exploitation of the SEB to meet national economic
  and public service objectives

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A Measurement Hierarchy
OUTPUT 1 A healthy UK SEB

OUTPUT 2 better exploitation

PSA level
OST is responsible for the effective exploitation
of the SEB to meet UK national needs.
OST is responsible for ensuring the overall
health of the UK SEB.
Science Budget level
OST and RCUK are responsible for the optimal
investment of the science budget and associated
policy activity to maintain a healthy UK SEB.
OST and RCUK are responsible for maximising the
contribution of the science budget and associated
policy activity to achieve better exploitation.
Research Council / Domain level
Research Councils are responsible for the optimal
investment of their science budget allocation and
associated policy activity to maintain a
healthy UK SEB in their disciplines.
Research Councils are responsible for maximising
the contribution of their science budget
allocation and associated policy activity to
achieve better exploitation in their disciplines.
RC Board level, University/ Institute level,
Project level
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Strategy

• Delivery Plan on how EPSRC will do its part in
  meeting the PSA targets
• Published in May 05
• Business plans to deliver delivery plan
• Individual programmes take into account
• International Reviews
• Views of TOP and UP
• Views of Stakeholders
• Views of Strategy Advisory Teams

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International Review of Maths - Key issues

• Investing in people
• Doctoral training
• Career paths
• Strengthening the research base
• Statistics
• Maths/CS interface
• Analysis/PDEs
• Regional cooperation
• Public Engagement

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International Review of Maths

• Initial action plan is available at
• http//tinyurl.com/5393o
• Initial responses
• Earmarked studentships for stats
• Science and Innovation Award Priority Areas
• Maths / Computer Science Discipline Hopping
  Awards
• Algorithms workshop
• MCM centre at St Andrews at the maths/CS
  interface
• MCM virtual centre in statistical ecology
• Clarification of support for research networks
• Publishing an update to action plan on web in May
  2005
• Future Actions within 2006-08 business plan

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Review of Research in OR

• Initial response Productivity Sandpit
• Meeting with the OR Society and community
  representatives
• Meeting with other EPSRC Programmes and ESRC
• Formal response to the review
• Future Actions within 2006-08 business plan

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Feedback from TOP UP

• Quality good, with some gaps identified by
  International Reviews
• Removing boundaries between sub-disciplines would
  be a real step forward
• Still need to improve connectivity with other
  disciplines (ICT, HPC in particular) and
  industry
• Need to continue good work in public engagement
• Concerns around levels of support for statistics
  and the mathematical underpinning of OR
• Concerns about the age profile across the
  mathematical sciences.

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Regional Seminars

• Consensus on main issues but differing
  approaches
• Main Issues
• Studentship training (priority at all seminars)
• Filling gaps
• Working at the interface
• Career development

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View of the Mathematical Sciences Programmes SAT

• Strong support for increasing the training budget
  to address concerns raised by IR
• Managed programmes
• to be very focused with clear strategic aim (not
  too many)
• Delivered through responsive mode cf maths for
  business
• Increase use of fellowships, discipline hopping
  etc to give flexibility for academics to develop
  their career

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Future Plans initial thoughts (1)

• PhD training
• Responsibility of the universities
• Pump priming integrated PhD Programme
• Filling Gaps
• Statistics focused and time limited -
  not a substitute for RM
• Analysis (pdes) longer term a highlighted
  area in an EPSRC Science and Innovation call
  - any ideas?
• OR - area may be highlighted in next EPSRC
  Science and Innovation call

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Future Plans initial thoughts (2)

• Interfaces
• Facilitating those who want to work with other
  disciplines and industry
• Career development
• Concentrating on the early career stage
• Highlighting the flexibility of springboard
  fellowships and increasing its budget
• Public engagement
• Emphasis on promoting subject to government and
  public
• Build on workshop by holding an IDEAS factory
  event?
• Fund network?
• Further activities joint with PE programme

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And Finally

• What do
• you think?