Research Councils in the UK

I believe one of the reasons behind the high profile of UK in terms of research activities (both quality and quantity) is a clear policy and the existence of some public organisations which lead the research at a national level. There are eight research councils in Britain that are active in different fields. Research Councils are the main public investors in fundamental research in the UK.

1. The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
2. The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
3. The Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC)
4. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
5. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
6. The Medical Research Council (MRC)
7. The Natural Environment Research Council(NERC)
8. The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC)

for more information about these you can check Research Councils UK (RCUK) website.