The Applied Educational Research Scheme (AERS) is a two million pound, 5-year programme funded by the Scottish Executive Education Department and the Scottish Education Funding Council, which started in early 2004.

AERS aims to enhance educational research capability in Scottish Higher Eduction Institutions (HEIs), and to use that capability to conduct high-quality research which will benefit school education in Scotland.

Led by a consortium of Edinburgh, Stirling and Strathclyde Universities, it includes as partners and beneficiaries all Scottish HEIs with a research interest in school education and is collaborating with practitioners and policy-makers.

The Programme is organised into three thematic networks, which will carry out capacity-building activities and research projects on, respectively:

• Learners, Learning and Teaching;

• School Management and Governance;

• and Schools and Social Capital.

In addition there is a programme of more generic capacity-building activities.

You can read the Original AERS Bid (MS Word document 80K) here.

If you want to become involved there is an additional guide (MS Word document 41K).