Peer Review College

We are delighted to announce that the ESRC has now established its new Peer Review College.

Peer review lies at the very heart of the ESRC's operations, and we are fully committed to the principle of peer review for the assessment of proposals to all our schemes and programmes.

The college consists of a group of approximately 1,800 experts, including both UK and overseas academics, and users from private, government and third sector organisations. Peer Review College members will be expected to provide expert quality reviews of proposals within their areas of expertise, which will inform the ESRC's decision making processes. The college will cover the majority of ESRC's schemes, including both directive and responsive mode initiatives. In addition to using members of the new college the ESRC will, of course, continue to draw upon the wider academic and user communities to conduct its peer review process.

How do I become a member of the college?

The current College membership was established through nomination by ESRC (PIs) and from our academic and user communities. The usual term of service for a college member is four years. Smaller recruitment exercises to fill any subject area gaps are likely to be held on an annual bases. Any such opportunities will be advertised on this webpage.

For college members

After the successful briefing events that were held for college members over the summer we have developed some additional guidance for peer reviewers, as well as an extensive FAQ document:

Briefing events

We are currently looking at the possibility of further events in early summer 2011.

Reference documents for College members

If you have any questions regarding college membership or peer review, please email peerreviewcollege@esrc.ac.uk