Science and Engineering Research Council
The Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) used to be the UK agency in charge of publicly funded scientific and engineering research actvities including astronomy, biotechnology and biological sciences, space research and particle physics. The SERC had oversight of the Royal Greenwich Observatory, Royal Observatory Edinburgh, the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the Daresbury Laboratory.
From its formation in 1965 until 1981 it was known as the Science Research Council (SRC), then in 1994 the new Director General of Research Councils was charged with reorganization of the then four Research Councils, and this resulted in the SERC being split into the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The two Observatories were moved under the aegis of PPARC, and the Laboratories initially into EPSRC and later into their own organization, the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC).