We periodically invite researchers to apply for research contracts. There is an annual research programme and various special projects are run from time to time.
Our research programme starts with the publication of our key areas for research. Details of the priorities are sent to researchers on our mailing list, who are invited to submit expressions of interest and brief descriptions of any projects they would like to carry out for us or to submit full proposals. After a process of internal and external consultation research unit contacts the researchers whose projects have been chosen and issues its research contracts.
We also commission specific policy-focused research projects during the course of the year. These projects are normally commissioned through either a competitive tender procedure or, from 2007, through a research framework. For further details, please see "The commissioning process" section.
We commission research through three routes: the DCA research programme, competitive tendering for specific projects and research call-off (framework) contract.
At the beginning of the main programme our research unit sends our key areas for research to everyone on its mailing list, as well as other researchers who have been in contact with us over the previous year.
The key areas for research set out the areas in which policy divisions have expressed a particular interest in having research commissioned over the coming year. Researchers are either invited to submit (a) expressions of interest or (b) full proposals.
Expressions of interest are short expositions of the research they would like to carry out, along with estimates of how long it would take and how much it would cost. Our research unit asks policy divisions to assess how closely the expressions of interest fit the Department's priorities, and their responses are used to draw up a list of researchers who will be asked to expand on their proposals.
Full proposals are assessed by, the research unit, policy divisions and external referees. Once we have referees' responses, the Departmental policy committee then decides which projects will be funded.
If you would like to be included on the mailing list for the next round of priorities, please e-mail us your name and contact details (address, telephone, fax and email), along with details of any areas of particular interest to you.
During the course of the year, the research unit works with policy teams to meet newly arising research needs. The majority of this work is commissioned through competitive tendering. The research unit writes a specification of requirements for the research. This is then forwarded to three to five research organisations who submit fully costed proposals in response to the requirements. On return, the proposals are assessed by the research unit and policy teams and a contract is let to our preferred contractor.
A considerable range of projects arise during the course of the year. If you wish to be considered to tender for these projects, please complete a, researchers' areas of interest and experience form, and email it to our research unit.
From 2007, we expect to commission research projects of more than £100,000 through our new research call-off (framework) contract. We expect this contract to be advertised in the Official Journal for the European Communities (OJEC) in Autumn 2006.
If you are doing research for an outside body that involves:
looking at court records
work within the courts
interviews with (or giving questionnaires to) court staff, users or members of the judiciary
you will need to get in touch with Research Unit about agreeing access.
The access process involves scrutiny of your final research proposal by various offices across the Department, and you should be aware that it can take some time, and that we may not always be able to arrange the access you would like.