Universities Minister David Willetts led the tributes and praise at our recent anniversary celebrations, marking a quarter century of research.
In a speech to funders, friends, leading economists and esteemed sociologists at a reception hosted by Professor Lord Currie of Marylebone at the House of Lords, the Minister said:
“Celebrating this 25 year milestone anniversary with ISER enables us to recognise the significant part that evidence from highly regarded longitudinal studies, such as Understanding Society, play in the shaping public policy. This helps to improve all our lives. ISER’s work, and social science more generally, makes a significant contribution to the economic and societal impact of the UK’s world class research base.”
Professor Paul Boyle, Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council said:
“Very many congratulations to everyone at ISER on their 25th anniversary. ESRC has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with ISER and we are delighted to be associated with a world class team who specialise in the producation and analysis of longitudinal data. Surveys such as Understanding Society and its predecessor the British Household Panel Survey, are vitally important sources of information, providing real evidence to help better understand the changing nature of people’s lives.
Further more we are delighted in this anniversary year to have confirmed an additional five years of funding to the ESRC Research Centre on Micro-social Change (MISOC), which is one of a number of centres based within ISER. This will now become one of our longest running investments, undertaking ambitious new research on individual and family behaviours in a new era of uncertainty and change."
Julia Unwin, Chief Executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said:
“ISER has carried out some of the most important and comprehensive research on poverty in the UK today. Their independent and rigorous work is hugely valuable for policy makers trying to understand the nature, scope and scale of poverty in the UK. Congratulations on 25 years of illuminating research. We look forward to the next 25.”
The University of Essex Vice Chancellor Professor Anthony Forster said:
“ISER is a jewel in the crown of our University, which is a world leader in the social sciences, and committed to research which improves the way society works. ISER’s outstanding postgraduate study programme produces first rate researchers and many are already influential before the complete their doctorates. There is a thirst within the policy making world for the kind of research that ISER produces and after a quarter of a centre of excellence, ISER provides powerful and reliable evidence on which to base policy change.”
ISER also celebrated its anniversary on campus with an open house for staff and students, with bite-size lectures on key topics such as biomarkers, micro-simulation, research on change and research for policy making.