Support Programme for University Research (SPUR)

The Support Programme for University Research (SPUR) was a research funding initiative unique to Northern Ireland, set up as a 50/50 public-private partnership between the Department for Employment & Learning and the charitable funder Atlantic Philanthropies . There were two phases (SPUR 1 and SPUR 2), which aimed to develop the NI universities’ research strategies and strengthen their research capacity, with a focus on interdisciplinary research. £43m was invested under SPUR1, enabling six research centres of excellence to operate over the lifetime of the initiative (2001 to 2006), while SPUR 2 supported seven projects with an investment of £51m between 2003 and 2008. SPUR funds were a flexible resource, with a mixture of capital and recurrent costs being eligible for support.

The overall objectives of the scheme were:

To enhance the strategic approach of the universities to the development of their research capacity
To strengthen the research base within both universities and, in particular, to increase the number of units of assessment operating at the highest international standards

These were achieved through enabling the universities to:

Undertake a planned approach to the development of their existing capacity, in particular increasing the number of research centres capable of being assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) on the basis of a high level of participation by active researchers
Attract high quality researchers in the fields of science and technology, medicine, the arts and humanities and social sciences and to develop infrastructural capacity to support research at the highest levels
Foster an inter-disciplinary approach to research
Extend the range and scope of collaboration with other institutions, with business and with other research interests within or without Northern Ireland.

A list of SPUR 1 and 2 projects is provided on this website.

For further information, please contact HE Policy Research Branch (tel: 028 9025 7693).