EPSRC Publish Research Strategy in Analytical Science
Some of you may be aware that for the past year the EPSRC has been reviewing all of its research areas.
Yesterday (15th February), the EPSRC published it’s Balancing Capability strategy setting out how it will balance its investments until 2020/2021. Each research area has a rationale setting out the EPSRC’s strategic ambitions and the icons help to identify the activities that EPSRC wants to facilitate in order to deliver the strategies.
As an analytical chemist myself, it is great to note that one aim is the recognition of Analytical Science’s status as a research area in its own right and not just an enabling technology.
It also recognises the need for investment in training for analytical scientists and the heavy reliance of the area on availability of capital investment. Making the best use of existing equipment and considering the optimal use of any new capital investment is seen as critical for the research community. This is an area of great interest to Element.
You can read the rationales for Analytical Science and Chemical Structure on the EPSRC website. These largely reflect the recommendations set out in the 2015 Review of Analytical Sciences. For Analytical Science, the EPSRC is expecting to constructively engage with academics, industry, the RSC and other interested stakeholders to deliver the ambitions set out in the rationale.