UK Research Councils

The Research Councils of the UK are government agencies responsible for particular areas of science and technology.

They are non-departmental government bodies which receive public funds from the Department of Trade and Industry through the Office of Science and Technology. There are currently eight Research Councils:


 * Arts and Humanities Research Council
 * Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
 * Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils
 * Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
 * Economic and Social Research Council
 * Medical Research Council
 * Natural Environment Research Council
 * Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council

Research Councils UK (RCUK) is a partnership of all the research councils, through which they promote various joint activities and interact with the UK government.

The MRC has its head office in central London, CCLRC is based at its Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, in Oxfordshire, the AHRC is based in Bristol and the other five research councils and RCUK operate from a single complex in Swindon.