Our governance
We are governed by the Strategic Coherence for ODA-funded Research (SCOR) Board. The SCOR Board is chaired by an independent member, Marie Staunton and brings together the Chief Scientific Advisers and Directors of our core members.
Strategic Coherence of ODA-funded Research (SCOR) Board
With development research funding now distributed across several government departments, and in light of considerable uncertainty around the future of the economy, and UK aid spending and research funding more specifically, it is more important than ever that research funding efforts are joined up and not duplicated.
The members of the SCOR Board help ensure that coordination efforts are impactful and that the UK provides a strong voice of leadership to the international development research community.
The funding bodies involved are:
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO); on behalf of all devolved administrations (Scottish Government, Welsh and Northern Ireland Assemblies)
- Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
- Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC)
- UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) (incorporating the existing Research Councils, Innovate UK and the research funding roles of the Higher Education Funding Council for England)
- Wellcome Trust
- Independent non-affiliated experts
The individuals on our SCOR Board are:
- Marie Staunton, CBE (Chair) – Independent
- Prof Charlotte Watts – Chief Scientific Adviser, DFID
- Prof Chris Whitty – Chief Scientific Adviser, DHSC
- Harriet Wallace – Director, International Science and Innovation, BEIS
- Christopher Smith – Executive Chair, AHRC (UKRI representative)
- Prof Fiona Watt – Executive Chair, MRC (UKRI representative)
- Prof Jeremy Farrar – Director, Wellcome
- Prof Melissa Leach – Director, Institute of Development Studies (independent)
The SCOR Board convenes on a quarterly basis. The secretariat is provided by UKCDR’s team.
SCOR Board Updates
Follow the links below for summaries of discussions at recent SCOR Board meetings:
UKCDR Stakeholder Group
A stakeholder group comprising expertise from our wider members ensures we have a diversity of opinions and views from across the international development research sector.