Alcohol Education Research Council (now Alcohol Research UK)

The following is an interim description which may change when detailed cataloguing takes place in future:

When catalogued in detail it is likely that the papers relating to grants will be subject to restriction for a certain period.

The collection mainly comprises Council meeting papers; meeting papers of the Research Committtee and Education Committee and Council committees; Annual Reports of the AERC; Research Project files; Action Grants files; PhD theses based on research projects. The Research Projects files normally contain grant application and administration papers, correspondence concerning the grant and the progress of research, final project reports, summaries of findings and some PhD theses. The papers cover a wide range of social, economic, cultural and financial aspects of alcohol drinking and its effects.

c.1980-c.2000

23 Transfer Boxes

The papers were donated to the library at Wellcome Collection by the Alcohol Education Research Council, 6 October 2006.

The Alcohol Education Resarch Council was established by the Government in 1982 by Act of Parliament (The Licensing Alcohol and Research Action 1981) to administer the Alcohol Education and Research Fund. The Fund financed projects within the UK for education and research on alcohol related issues. The Council's main aims were to generate and disseminate research based evidence to inform and influence policy and practice and to develop the capacity of people and organisations to address alcohol issues. During its near 30-year existence, the AERC awarded over 500 project grants and around 200 studentships, with a total value of more than £12 million. It was recognised as a vital funder of research into alcohol-related harm, often being the only source of funding available to institutions and individuals working on important studies in this specialised field.

As part of the Government's review of 'Arms Length Bodies' the AERC is due to be abolished in 2012. It's work and assets have been taken over by Alcohol Research UK, launched in September 2011 as an entirely independent charity dedicated exclusively to funding work to improve understanding of the causes of excessive drinking, how it can be prevented and the best ways of tackling the problems it causes. Alcohol Research UK's main aims are to: increase the quantity of research that they fund; increase the quality of the research that is funded; create a significant profile amongst and influence over policymakers, practitioners, scientists and general stakeholders.

This collection is currently uncatalogued and cannot be ordered online. Requests to view uncatalogued material are considered on a case by case basis. Please contact collections@wellcomecollection.org for more details.