As a college member you will play a vital role in the peer review process and the UK funding landscape. By joining the EPSRC Peer Review College, a two-way agreement is formed.
On average, EPSRC requests two to three reviews per year of college members. We promise to cap the number of review requests to no more than eight in any 12-month period for a UK academic and four in any 12-month period for college members at user organisations or who are not based in the UK.
EPSRC colleagues will aim to ensure that all proposals sent to you for review are appropriate to your area of expertise. This is why the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system profile information you provide is so important.
EPSRC really appreciates your suggestions for alternative reviewers if you are unable to review for us. Alternative reviewers can be noted on the form when responding to a review request via the Je-S system.
EPSRC will avoid requesting reviews during any period where you have indicated in Je-S that you will be temporarily unavailable.
Before joining the college, you will be asked to do online training which provides an insider view of EPSRC’s peer review processes, as well as valuable tips on writing high-quality reviews that will help you and the peers you are reviewing. It will explain your role within the EPSRC process.
EPSRC will inform you, via regular newsletters and other means, of changes to our policy or process that may impact on your role as a college member.
As a college member we ask you to:
- provide informed, objective and timely reviews which are in line with the UKRI principles of peer review assessment and decision making
- notify EPSRC within five working days of a request for review if you are unable to meet the request
- serve on prioritisation panels where invited but recognise that such opportunities are limited
- keep your Je-S details up to date, particularly those elements relating to your availability and areas of expertise
- undertake training provided by EPSRC for college members and refresh this when the reviewing process changes, or you are undertaking a new role (for example, panel member)
- keep up to date with developments that may affect your role as a member of the college, for example through attendance at EPSRC organised events, its website, and its newsletters.
Training for college members
We provide college members with an online tutorial which has been developed to enable you to understand details of the EPSRC peer review process, the roles you may be asked to fulfil, how you fit into that process, and how to ensure that your contributions are as helpful as possible in reaching sound decisions.
The training consists of four modules which take around 45 minutes in total to complete. College members are provided with a username and password to access the training. New applicants will need to complete the training within two months of receiving the college training login details so that you can become a college member.
The training is updated to remain in line with current EPSRC policy and processes, and we may ask you to revisit training modules to ensure your knowledge is up to date.
Fees and expenses for panel members
Panel members are normally paid a fee and reimbursed for travel and subsistence when attending meetings. For tax purposes, college members are classed as self-employed. Members who are employees of government bodies are not entitled to receive fees.
Download the expenses claim form for non-UKRI staff.
Read more about UKRI’s travel and subsistence policy.
We do not pay fees for reviewing.
College newsletters
EPSRC publishes a college newsletter to keep members up to date with the running of the college, changes to EPSRC policy and procedure, and anything else relevant to their roles in the peer review process.
Recognition of significant contribution to EPSRC peer review
We are very grateful for the contribution our college members make to the collective peer review effort. To show our appreciation, each academic year EPSRC sends a letter of thanks to individual college members who have achieved top ranking for participating in peer review activities. For academic college members this letter will also be sent to their vice chancellor for research.