The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), in funding partnership with the Office of the Third Sector (OTS) and The Barrow Cadbury Trust wish to commission an independent, multidisciplinary Research Centre for the Third Sector. The Centre will develop knowledge and expertise about, with and for the Third Sector, to include the Voluntary and Community Sector and Social Enterprise, bringing together a critical mass of research expertise, resources and intellectual leadership to support research of the highest international standing, to provide top quality analysis and provide the necessary evidence base to better understand key Third Sector issues and underpin policy and practice.

The initiative will support a single Research Centre, although where the necessary range of capabilities cannot be drawn from the departments or schools of a single institution, formal partnerships between institutions are appropriate. The Research Centre will be supported by three Capacity Building Clusters, aiming to create a new generation of high quality researchers committed to the co-production of knowledge and its application to the Third Sector.

A total of £10.25million is currently available for the initiative as a whole. Under this call, proposals are invited for the Research Centre (up to £9million at 100% FEC over five years) and each Capacity Building Cluster (up to £1million over five years).

The call opened today (4 January) and the deadline for submissions is 4pm on Thursday 27 March. Decisions are expected in June and the start date for the Centre will be September 2008.

Full details at http://www.esrc.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/opportunities/current_funding_opportunities/Third_Sector_Centre.aspx?ComponentId=25072&SourcePageId=5964