Collaborative Training Accounts (CTA) James Callaghan

Contents What are CTAs? What is being proposed? How is it intended to work? Timetable for implementation 1 st call or 2 nd call? Position at Essex and the Indicative Limit Discussion and Next Steps

What are CTAs? A new mechanism by which EPSRC will support, under a single financial umbrella, those schemes which link postgraduate training programmes with the workplace Includes: –Engineering Doctorate –Industrial CASE –Knowledge Transfer Partnerships –Masters Training Packages (MTP) –Research Assistants Industrial Secondments (RAIS)

What is Proposed ? All HEI’s receiving EPSRC funding in these areas will be invited to bid for a CTA The CTA bid will include a Business Plan which identifies the total funding requirements estimate for the next 4 years The bid is reviewed by a panel, probably non-academic Pilot involving 10 “representative” HEI’s currently underway

How is it intended to work ? The HEI appoints an “Account Director” who manages the account The funds in the CTA are called off according to the funding opportunity Funds can be re-directed as necessary within the CTA Keep “approximately” within the Business Plan

Single Business Plan per Organization Provision of a single CTA with a small number of fund headings will give greater flexibility in the subsequent deployment of funds Plans to be pitched at a strategic/high level Actively encouraged to: –choose amongst “brands” (MTP, EngD etc) and subjects within EPSRC’s remit, but single scheme bids will be allowable –create new activities –work across disciplines and with other Research organizations –pump-prime new courses –form partnerships with other public and private sponsors

Feb July Sept Nov Jan March April May Oct CTAs – Outline Timetable ‘Call’ released Business Plans Assessment Decisions ‘Call’ released Business Plans Assessment Decisions Close current activities Announce CTAs Course development Major student starts First General CallPilot Phase Dec Expressions of interest

Timetable for Implementation Pilot phase st General Call – 1 st Sept 2003 –Expressions of interest by end Sept 2003 –Full proposal by end January 2004 –Students starting by Oct nd General Call – 1 st May 2004 –Expressions of interest by 31 st May 2004 –Full proposal by 1 st Oct 2004 –Students starting in Oct 2005

1 st Call or 2 nd Call? Taking into account: –Ability to respond and develop the full business plan on the required timetable –Whether the planned training activities are particularly time critical in terms of their development/implementation –The criticality of EPSRC funding (in terms of when the current EPSRC funding is due to terminate –EPSRC may ‘choose’ to impose restrictions on who can submit a business plan in response to the first general call –Implications of applying to either the 1 st or 2 nd call will be financially neutral

Position at Essex

Value of CTA – Indicative Limit EPSRC state that this is a limit, not a target

Discussion & Next Steps Next steps –Proposed portfolio Current activities which are to continue Current activities to be discontinued (if any) Proposed new activities –Areas to address (see business plan proforma) Institutional suitability Strategic fit and vision Management and operation of the CTA Collaboration Outputs Finance and justification of resources Roles and responsibilities Who to involve?