The LANCS (Lancaster, Nottingham, Cardiff and Southampton) Initiative in Foundational Operational Research: Building Theory for Practice

英国是运筹学(OR)的发源地，它保持着以应用为导向的研究传统，这种传统既是真正的，也是非常独特的，如果不是独一无二的话。许多行业和公共服务都是这一努力的受益者，尤其是医疗、金融、交通和国防。然而，EPSRC/ESRC 2004英国研究现状的国际回顾警告说，如果没有足够多的研究人员开发支撑理论的研究人员，这种在OR应用工作中的领先地位可能会受到威胁。在LANCS(兰开斯特、诺丁汉、加的夫、南安普顿)倡议中，四所处于英国INOR研究前沿的大学承诺在其理论基础上大幅扩展研究能力，并得到当前科学与创新呼吁所提供的额外资源的支持。有关大学已经合作创建了NatCOR，这是EPSRC支持的一项旨在加强运筹学数学博士课程的倡议。他们还通过最近的决定(在此次电话会议之前)对这一主题进行大量投资，证明了他们对这一主题的承诺。LACS计划总共将在该奖项的五年期间监督约1200万美元的额外新投资，其中一半以上来自机构本身。所有这些机构还承诺在EPSRC资助的五年期限之后继续保持这一额外能力。这将对这个主题产生重大影响。该倡议旨在通过建立这一主要的跨机构和多学科合作，在其理论基础上建立和保持新的国家能力。这一方案对于支持面向应用的研究的健康至关重要，2004年的国际审查强调了这一优势。事实上，这一提议的主要动机是为了确保英国研究基地在这个至关重要的领域的健康。这一具有远见的倡议旨在建立该领域的理论进展，这些进展由实际应用提供信息，并提供给实际应用。

The United Kingdom is the home of Operational Research (OR) and itmaintains an application-oriented research tradition which is both trueto its roots and which is also highly distinctive, if not unique. Manyindustries and public services are the beneficiaries of this effort, notleast healthcare, finance, transport and defence. However, the EPSRC/ESRC 2004 International Review of the Research Status of OR in the UK warned thatthis leading position in applied work in OR could be jeopardised in theabsence of a critical mass of researchers developing underpinning theory.In the LANCS (Lancaster, Nottingham, Cardiff, Southampton) initiative,four universities, which have been at the forefront of UK research inOR, have committed to a major expansion of research capacity in itstheoretical foundations, supported by the additional resources availableas a result of the current Science and Innovation call. The universitiesconcerned have already worked together in the creation of NATCOR, anEPSRC-supported initiative aimed at strengthening doctoral programmes inthe mathematics of OR. They have also evidenced their commitment to thesubject by recent decisions (in advance of this call) to investsubstantially in it.In total, the LANCS initiative will oversee additional new investment ofapproximately 12M through the five year period of the award, of whichmore than half comes from the institutions themselves. All theinstitutions have also committed to sustaining this additional capacitybeyond the five year EPSRC funded period. This will have a major impacton the subject. The initiative aims to build and maintain a substantialnew national capacity in its theoretical base by establishing this majorcross-institutional and multi-disciplinary collaboration. Such aprogramme is crucial to support the health of the application orientedresearch which was highlighted as such a strength by the 2004international review. Indeed, the main motivation of this proposal is tounderpin the health of the UK research base in this critically importantarea. This far sighted initiative aims to establish theoreticaladvances in the field which are informed by, and which feed into, realapplications.