NERC's external reporting requirements
In 2004, the UK's Department of Trade & Industry (now the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS)) introduced a new performance system for the research councils. The system ensures that research council priorities contribute towards government goals as well as delivering our own strategy. The government's ten-year strategy for the UK science base can be found in the Science & Innovation Investment Framework 2004 - 2014, accessed via the BIS website.
The performance management system consists of a number of different elements, including the Delivery Plan and Scorecard, Delivery Report, Quarterly Progress Reporting, Economic Impact Reporting Framework and the Economic Impact Baseline.
The Delivery Plan and Scorecard
The Delivery Plan is a medium-term (four-year) planning document produced by NERC for the government's spending reviews. It sets out key priorities that will contribute to delivery of the NERC strategy. Activities from the Delivery Plan are described in more detail in the accompanying NERC/BIS Scorecard. The latest Delivery Plan was produced in 2010 for the spending review period 2011 - 2015.
The NERC/BIS Scorecard activities form a sub-set of the activities reported through NERC's Strategic Management Tool (SMT); to ensure consistent reporting to NERC's decision-making bodies and to government, as well as stream-lining our reporting process.
Reports for government
The Quarterly Progress Report provides BIS with regular updates on progress against the Scorecard activities throughout the year. At the end of every year we produce a Delivery Report, an Economic Impact Reporting Framework report and an Economic Impact Baseline report.
The Delivery Report summarises our progress on the activities on the NERC/BIS Scorecard and our delivery of priorities set out in the Delivery Plan over the past twelve months. It also highlights progress in delivery and some of NERC's science achievements, complementing those in the Annual Report.
The Economic Impact Reporting Framework report contains data related to government objectives for the UK research base. The report demonstrates the value and impact of NERC science and the role NERC plays in supporting the science base through a series of primarily quantitive measures.
The Economic Impact Baseline report outlines NERC's current impact across five key areas, including NERC's significant contribution to improving quality of life:
- Delivering highly skilled people to the labour market
- Improving the performance of existing businesses
- Improving public policy and public services
- Attracting research and development investment from global businesses
- Creating new business
For more information please contact:
Deborah Cosgrove
Tel: 01793 411911