The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is part of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body funded by a grant-in-aid from the UK government.
We fund world-leading research, data and postgraduate training in the economic, behavioural, social and data sciences to understand people and the world around us.
We are committed to supporting research that will benefit the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life beyond academia.
We work in partnership to bring a wealth of opportunities to the social sciences and to create an environment where our research can have an impact on society’s most complex challenges.
We invest in high-quality research training and development opportunities to produce skilled researchers who can tackle social and economic challenges and have an impact on society.
Researchers require access to world-class data to deliver high-quality research and maximise impact. We take the lead in developing the UK’s data infrastructure and supporting cutting-edge methodological developments.
We are an international leader in the social sciences. We foster international collaboration with a wide range of international partners. And we enable UK social scientists to collaborate on challenging global issues with the very best international researchers from around the world.
Read more about our work in our strategic delivery plan.
ESRC’s mission
ESRC’s mission is to ensure the greatest public benefit from social science. We are an active steward, helping create a flourishing ecosystem, nourishing its intellectual roots, and working with partners to identify the most pressing societal challenges and build national capacity to address them.
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Last updated: 7 August 2025