Links

Governance, Environment, Science and Technology Clusters

Reflecting the growing need for cross-fertilisation of research, a number of programmes supported by the Economics and Social Research Council (ESRC) recently established new cluster groups related to science, technology, the environment and culture. The clusters intends to build links where appropriate and develop joint activities. (website)

Social Informatics Research Unit (SIRU)

SIRU will be launched in 2006. It will be Co-Directed by Roger Burrows and Brian Loader. It will be the editorial base for the international journal Information, Communication and Society and the administrative base for the co-ordination of a major national programme of social research on various aspects of the social science of digital technologies. SIRU will run a series of research symposia and some major national and international conferences. (website)

Science in Society

This programme aims to facilitate research into the rapidly changing relationship between science (including engineering and technology) and wider society. The Programme Director is Steve Rayner, Säid Business School, University of Oxford. (website)

Sustainable Technologies

Under the umbrella of the Government's Sustainable Technologies Initiative, this programme will investigate the development and adoption of sustainable technologies.The programme Director is Dr Frans Berkhout, at SPRU, University of Sussex. He is available to give advice regarding the scope of the Programme, preparing proposals, and links with the Sustainable Technologies Initiative. (website)

Cultures and Consumption

Sponsored by the ESRC in conjunction with the Arts an Humanities Research Board, this programme will give special attention to six main areas of research: knowledge and the consumer; consumption and citizenship; the impact of new technologies on consumption; changing boundaries between local, metropolitan, and transnational consumer cultures; the penetration of the domestic sphere by consumer culture; and alternative and sustainable consumption. The Programme Director is Frank Trentmann, Birkbeck University, London (website)

Innovation Health Technology

Funded jointly by the ESRC and the Medical Research Council. The aim of the programme is to examine the role that these new technologies now play - in redefinning the way we mange and experince health and medicine . An indication of the wider significance of these issues for the UK private sector is that the Programme has also secured collaborating funding from GlaxoSmithKline. The Programme Director is Andrew Webster (website)

Future of Governance

This programme aims to provide specific lessons for policy development across government services and generate broader insights into how innovations developed in one country may be adapted to work successfully in other jurisdictions. The Programme Director is Edward Page. (website)

CESAGen

Funded as part of the ESRC Genomics Network, three centres across the UK studying the evolution of genomics and life sciences and their far-reaching social and economic implications.CESAGen's objective is to work with the relevant genomics science whilst attempting to clarify the human (social and economic) factors which shape these natural knowledges. (website)

EGENIS

Egenis is part of the ESRC Genomics Network. Every application of genomics, from GM crops to human cloning, raises novel but highly contentious societal issues, and Egenis will carry out core research in the field. Comment on new genetic technologies and issues such as who owns genetic information, and genetic modification. It aims to become the pre-eminent locale for the development and dissemination of social scientific understanding of the nature and implications of genomic technoscience, and for the training of researchers in this area. The Programme Director is Professor John Dupré. (website)

Innogen

Innogen is part of the ESRC Genomics Network. The life sciences have the potential to transform health care and food production systems in developed and developing countries and to provide one of the main platforms of economic growth and global competitiveness in the 21st century. Rapid developments in life sciences also challenge our existing regulatory systems and raise new ethical and social issues. Innogen's research will provide a sound base for decision-making in science, industry, policy and public arenas and will improve our understanding of each of these groups and their interactions.Director Joyce Tait. (website)

CARR

The ESRC Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation (CARR) is an interdisciplinary research centre at LSE. Our core intellectual work focuses on the organisational and institutional settings for risk management and regulatory practices.CARR's wide-ranging remit also involves working closely with government policy-makers and business practitioners, as well as advancing programmes to establish national and international scholarship ('outreach'), and the development of younger scholars working in risk and regulation studies. (website)

Environment & Human Behaviour

This programme seeks to explore the following three areas of interest: Why do people behave as they do towards the natural environment? How do/will people seek to adapt their behaviour in response to environmental change, especially rapid environmental change? And, what public policy approaches might persuade people to change their behaviour? The Programme Director is Professor Paul Ekins, Policy Studies Institute (website)

Exploring Online Research Methods

This project explores online research methods in a Virtual Training Environment. It aims to enhance understanding of online research methods through the production and evaluation of a self-supporting online training package targeted at the social science community. (website)