Organisation

Who we are

The ESRC National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) forms part of ESRC’s strategy to improve the standards of research methods across the UK social science community. The Centre has worked closely with the ESRC Research Methods Programme which finished in September 2007. NCRM provides a focal point for research, training and capacity building activities. These activities are aimed at promoting a step change in the quality and range of methodological skills and techniques used by the UK social science community, and providing support for, and dissemination of, methodological innovation and excellence within the UK.

NCRM has a distributed structure, with a coordinating Hub at the University of Southampton School of Social Sciences and Nodes at other locations. The hub was originally established in 2004 and the Phase 1 nodes in 2005. Phase 2 nodes started in 2008.

 

What we do

The key objectives of the National Centre for Research Methods are:

• to advance methodological understanding and practice
• to enhance the UK international profile in methodological excellence and to ensure that the UK is at the forefront of international developments in social research methodology
• to play a strategic role in the promotion of high quality research methodology that involves inter-agency initiatives, including but not limited to those funded by the ESRC
• to co-ordinate and to add value to other investments of the ESRC that are concerned to enhance the methodological sophistication and techniques and skills of current and future generations of social researchers.