The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK’s leading research funding and training agency addressing economic and social concerns; it funds research and training in social and economic issues funding over 2,500 researchers in academic institutions and policy research institutes throughout the UK. It also supports more than 2,000 postgraduate students.

The ESRC began in 1965 as the Social Science Research Council, comprising social science committees covering 14 disciplines ranging from anthropology to statistics. In 1983 the council was restructured under the new name of Economic and Social Research Council, focusing on six research areas:

· Economic affairs
· Education and human development
· Environment and planning
· Government and law
· Industry and employment
· Social affairs

ESRC has an international reputation both for providing high-quality research on issues of importance to business, the public sector and government, and for their commitment to training world-class social scientists. Just over two-thirds of their budget (£100 million in 2006/2007) is allocated to research and just under one-third (£47 million in 2006/2007) to postgraduate training.

For more information on the ESRC, go to ESRC Society Today: http://www.esrc.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/about/index.aspx?ComponentId=277&SourcePageId=20655