The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council awarded just over 1,800 research grants to a value of Pounds 246 million, according to its 1995-96 annual report. EPSRC chief executive Richard Brook says the overall success rate for research proposals was 44 per cent by number. Processing times for grant proposals have improved by 20 per cent over the past two years and savings made on administration costs have enabled the council to spend an extra Pounds 1.5 million on research.