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A New Management Structure for the Polymer IRC

Professor Randal Richards joined the IRC as Director in the autumn 2008 for a limited period, to help the IRC undertake a review of its operations and structures. Following Randal's departure at the end of 2009, the IRC has adopted a new managemnt structure. The academic directors of the IRC, will take turns as Chair of the Executive Group. The first director to take the chiar is Professor Peter Olmsted head of the Polymers and Complex Fluids Research Group at the University of Leeds. Peter's interests are in theoretical soft condensed matter, primarily complex fluids and including biological fluids.

Peter Olmsted

We would like to thank Randal for his work with the IRC over the past year and wish him a happy retirement.

Director's Report 2009

On November 1st 2008 I became the Director of the Polymer IRC, following the departure of Tom McLeish to become Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research at Durham University. I took on the role on a part-time basis for a limited period to assist in the restructuring of the Polymer IRC and help define a future path. The first task was to visit each of the component Universities of the Polymer IRC and talk with leading researchers and with each of the Vice-Chancellors and senior members of their executive team. Objectives identified for the Director were to: Promote greater inter-university research collaboration, Encourage greater coherence amongst IRC members, Raise the profile of the Polymer IRC with University executive groups, Promote the benefits of the IRC to Research Councils, Industry and Government bodies. These objectives were agreed by the newly formed Executive Group consisting of the Associate Directors from each University, Dr Barry Maunders, responsible for network development , and Helen Clancy the Executive Manager for the Polymer IRC. The Executive Group has revised the membership and terms of reference for the Advisory Board and involved younger researchers in the management of the Polymer IRC through the formation of a Research Group. The role of the Advisory Board was defined as: “To advise, warn and encourage the Executive Group on the current and proposed activities of the Polymer IRC in the areas of research, training and knowledge transfer. Strategic advice will be of the greatest value to the members of the Polymer IRC in formulating their future activities, thus maximising its potential to enhance and develop polymer science and technology in the UK.”

The newly formed Research Group’s remit is to:

Identify areas of research strength in polymer science and engineering within the Polymer IRC. Seek out and specify possible research programmes that utilise the ability of the Polymer IRC to address multidisciplinary topics. Nominate PIs and co-Is; identify possible sources of funding; e.g. Research Councils, Charities, Government Organisations, Industry. Explore the possibilities for individual research funding; e.g. fellowships; European Research Council awards; Royal Society Research Chairs. Review the current research portfolio and comment, where appropriate, on any proposals for follow – on activities made by PIs and co-Is.

The activities of the Research Group are reported later in the Annual Review. Already two major research programmes have been identified that are particularly suitable for the multidisciplinary approach of the Polymer IRC.

Since the autumn of 2008 there has been a significant change in the prospects for research funding not only in the UK but worldwide. Loss of confidence in the business sector, together with the expenditure of public funds to maintain the banking system means that in the future money for research programmes will be more difficult to acquire. An immediate effect on the Polymer IRC was a contraction in the renewal of industrial subscriptions to the IRC Industrial Club. A further change in the IRC’s operating environment is the identification of major research themes by UK Research Councils along with their encouragement to submit longer, larger research proposals. In addition, following the election in 2010, the expectation is that funding for Universities will not increase and may be cut to reduce Government borrowing levels. It was these considerations that led the Executive Group to evolve new strategies to respond to changing circumstances. The Polymer IRC also wanted to refresh its knowledge of what members (current and future) need from the IRC Industrial Club. The amalgamation of businesses and consequent rationalisation of activities by these larger concerns has introduced fragmentation which requires Polymer IRC members to understand the new industrial environment, in particular the increasingly global nature of industrial polymer research and development. The Networks Director, Barry Maunders, will play a key role in helping bring this understanding into the Polymer IRC. To assist in this process Helen Clancy and I have visited a number of researchers in industry to learn of their concerns and determine what the Polymer IRC can do for them. The work over the past year has gone a long way to restructuring and refocusing the Polymer IRC in what has been a very turbulent time for both industry and academe. The Polymer IRC is now positioned to exploit new areas of research which have the potential for growth e.g. in biologically related arenas; energy research etc. Moreover, the UK Government will in all likelihood want to see the outcomes from research move more rapidly from the laboratory bench to the market place. The Polymer IRC is well suited to such tasks with its reputation for high quality research allied to an efficient network of industrial contacts and supporters.

Randal Richards

For more information about Polymer IRC activities over the last twelve months, see our Annual Review, linked below:

2009 Annual Review (PDF 1.5MB)

2008 Annual Review (PDF 1.8MB)

2007 Annual Review (PDF 1.5MB)

2006 Annual Review (PDF 451kB)