Lobbying and Liaison

Liaison Meetings with the Research Councils

The Research Board (through the Joint Committee of the Society, the Association of Heads of Psychology Departments and the Experimental Psychology Society, for Psychology in Higher Education) holds annual liaison meetings with the main Research Councils - including the Economic and Social Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Medical Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and the Wellcome Trust.

These meetings are aimed at addressing key concerns from Psychology relating to the levels of funding for psychological research; to review the current application and success rates for Psychology with respect to the specific schemes run by each funding body; and to provide an opportunity to discuss forthcoming initiatives and to identify any psychological expertise that may be required in the development of those initiatives.

The meetings are therefore seen as an opportunity for the exchange of information as well as to allow direct discussions of pertinent issues from both the perspective of the discipline and the funding body.

Useful links:
- Economic and Social Research Council www.esrc.ac.uk
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council www.bbsrc.ac.uk
- Medical Research Council www.mrc.ac.uk
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council www.epsrc.ac.uk
- The Wellcome Trust www.wellcome.ac.uk

Lobbying Higher Education Funding Councils/Government:

Again, through the Joint Committee, the Board is engaged in monitoring proposed policy changes or reviews of the current funding arrangements for Departments of Psychology (specifically the funding method for teaching and for research, the Research Assessment Exercise and so on).

The Board has submitted responses to a number of major reviews and consultations on changes to the levels of resourcing.

The Board also requests regular data-gathering exercises (together with other evidence) regarding the impact of funding changes on Departments of Psychology. For example, in conjuction with the HEA Psychology Network, a survey of Departments is planned for Autumn 2007 to consider the impact of the revised funding method for teaching.

Useful links:
- Research Assessment Exercise www.rae.ac.uk
- Higher Education Funding Council for England www.hefce.ac.uk
- Higher Education Funding Council for Wales www.hefcw.ac.uk
- Higher Education Funding Council for Scotland www.shefc.ac.uk
- Department for Education in Northern Ireland www.deni.ac.uk


Links with Cognate Organisations:

The Board has very strong links with the Association of Heads of Psychology Departments and the Experimental Psychology Society - both of which are represented on the Board.

In addition, the Society is also a member organisation of the Science Council and the Academy for Social Sciences.

The Science Council has a membership of over 25 professional institutions and Learned Societies (including the Society since 2004) and has a member network of more than 300,000 scientists covering the full breadth of science and mathematics. The Society is represented on both its Council and its Executive Board. We also have a number of representatives that serve on its working groups (such as education policy and science & sustainability).

This membership of the Science Council has permitted the Research Board to contribute to a number of major consultations on science related issues, in addition to the submission of the Society's own response. This puts the Society in a very strong position with respect to lobbying Government alongside the other core sciences.

In addition the Society is also a member organisation of the Academy for Social Sciences. The Academy comprises 343 Academicians and 43 Learned Societies. Academicians are distinguished scholars and practitioners from academia and the public and private sectors. Most of the Learned Societies in the Social Sciences in the UK are represented within the Academy.

The Academy responds to Government and other consultation on behalf of the social sciences; it organises meetings about social science for practitioners and seminars on topics that span social science disciplines; it also sponsors a number of schemes that promote social science and enhance its value to society. The Deputy Chair of the Research Board is currently a member of the Academy Council and is our representative on the Committee of the College of Learned Societies, enabling the Society to be influential on the current and future activities of the Academy; as well as benefitting from strong links with other Learned Societies and the Academy's well established relationship with the ESRC.

Nominations for Academicians are submitted by the Board each year. For further information in relation to the process of submitting a nomination, please contact Dr Lisa Morrison Coulthard (Policy Advisor - Science and Research) on lisa.morrisoncoulthard@bps.org.uk.