A National Taught Course Centre in Operational Research (NATCOR)

《国际数学评论》（International Review of mathematics）表达了OR社区对英国博士培训（广度和深度）的担忧——事实上，我们会认为它们特别适用于OR。2004年对联合王国OR研究状况的审查对从事数学基础研究的联合王国OR研究人员数量少及其对联合王国维持对国际研究议程的强大影响的能力的潜在影响表达了更多的关注。《手术室评论》对研究委员会（特别是对手术室博士培训的支持）和手术室社区提出了相应的挑战。本提案涉及OR数学博士生的授课课程设置。它得到了史密斯研究所的支持，并与手术室协会合作，形成了一套协调一致的战略部分，以应对来自手术室社区的挑战。该提案旨在通过授课课程，显著提高所有从事OR数学研究的博士生（尤其是那些由EPSRC资助的博士生）的培训广度、质量和吸引力。目前还无法提供所设想的广度和水平。在地方一级缺乏临界质量意味着跨学科的卓越提供以及可行的学生人数只能通过国家联盟来提供。我们相信，计划中的规定还将大大有助于加强对OR博士课程的招聘，并建立一个更紧密联系的数学基础博士生社区，为英国研究的长期利益做出贡献。

The OR community shares the concerns about (the breadth and depth of) UK PhD training expressed in the International Review of Mathematicsindeed, we would argue that they apply to OR with particular force. The 2004 Review of the Research Status of OR in the UK articulated additional concens about the small number of UK researchers in OR working on mathematical foundations and its potential impact on the UK's capacity to sustain a strong influence on the international research agenda. Consequential challenges were posed in the OR Review, both to the research councils (concerning, inter alia, the support of PhD training in OR) and to the OR community. This proposal concerns taught course provision for PhD students in the mathematics of OR. It has the support of the Smith Institute, with the OR Society as collaborating partner, and forms a strategic part of a co-ordinated set of responses to the Review's challenges from the OR community.The proposal aims to achieve a significant enhancement of the breadth, quality and attractiveness of the training available to all PhD students (and especially those funded by EPSRC) working in the mathematics of OR through taught course provision. Provision of the breadth and at the level envisaged is currently not available. Absence of critical mass at a local level means that excellence of provision across the subject together with viable student numbers can only be delivered through a national consortium. We believe that the planned provision will in addition contribute significantly to the strengthening of recruitment into PhD programmes in OR and to the building of a more strongly connected community of PhD students working on mathematical foundations, to the long term benefit of UK research.