UKRI CS19429 Expert Advisory Services for ESRC's Education - Improving Outcomes Research Priority

Descriptions

The final date and time for the submission of bids is Monday 10th August 2020 at 14:00. DO NOT apply directly to the buyer. All tender information MUST be submitted through the Delta eSourcing Portal. Brief Description of Requirement: The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which brings together the UK's seven research councils, Innovate UK and Research England to create the best environment for research and innovation to flourish. Its vision is to ensure that the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. ESRC is the UK's largest funder of research on economic and social issues, supporting world-class research advancing the frontiers of social science and contributing to a more prosperous economy, more effective public services and a more sustainable, healthy and secure society. There is a specific commitment to research focused on Education - ESRC's Delivery Plan 2019 sets out a number of research and innovation priority areas where it will be investing in the short and longer term, with one of the themes being research that contributes to designing and delivering the next generation of public services. The education research landscape is complex, incorporating a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches and a range of stakeholders with different interests. Against this backdrop ESRC is seeking to commission expert advice and intellectual leadership to deliver an evidence base to inform and support ESRC's future commissioning activity in the priority area of Education: Improving Outcomes. The contract deliverables will be achieved through scoping work, as well as other activities including stakeholder engagement, resulting in a report to the ESRC. The aim of this contract will be to help the ESRC identify specific gaps and opportunities in its portfolio, and to design and implement funding schemes in this priority area. Key challenges that need to be engaged with as part of this activity include considering how best to build capacity, pursue interdisciplinarity, exploit large data innovations, engage with practitioners and policy makers in education, and achieve impact. The Contract duration shall be for a period of one year, from October 2020 to September 2021. For full details of the requirement please refer to the Invitation to Quote documentation available to download from Contracts Finder and the Delta eSourcing Portal. This contract will be awarded based on the evaluation criteria set out in the ITQ document.