RT @martin_eve: Some personal notes on the REF OA mandate for books.

RT @ResearchCGHE: JOIN US FOR CGHE CONFERENCE ON ‘THE PUBLIC GOOD ROLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION’.📅Wed 27 March (9am-5.45pm).➡️Programme details….

Any changes to the accountability regime for QR must be viewed in the context of the overall purpose and burden of the REF exercise itself. (!!) n/n.

The REF provides assurance and accountability for government that the university research system is sustainably producing excellent, impactful research. In this way, the REF is a crucial feature of the assurance environment for university research. 16/n.

There is a robust assurance framework for QR, which is primarily based.on regular national assessment of institutions’ research quality through the Research Excellence Framework (REF). 15/n.

The government is aware, however,.that there is a disparity between current fEC policy at 80% and the reported cost recovery rate on TRAC for UK institutions (68.7% in 2021/22). 14/n.

In turn the government gave another stream of public funding, QR, to universities to support their own choice of new research directions & to help them in making decisions about the projects they should bid for from the research councils, charities and other funders. 12/n.

The implementation of the full Economic Cost.arrangements in 2007 made clear that universities were expected to make choices over which projects 11/n.

The government notes the discussion in the Review about the policy of paying 80% full Economic Cost (fEC) on research grants. 10/n.

As autonomous institutions take decisions to manage these risks, they may choose to scale back plans to invest in research. Individual organisations could also close research hubs or scientific infrastructure. 9/n.

The government recognises the pressures facing UK universities and other important research performing organisations, including from increased inflation and a higher cost of borrowing in the immediate term. 8/n.

Over the years universities have increased their own.funding of research; this emphasises that universities are not contract research organisations for the government but are significant actors in their own right in the RDI system. 7/n.

There is considerable investment in research projects in universities with the expectation that universities will co-invest from their own funds, an expectation which is borne out by the mission of many universities and their consequent investment strategies. 6/n.

Universities play a unique and important role in delivering high-quality RDI across the UK. They are significant recipients of public funding for research but are also PARTNERS with the government in the development of the research system. 5/n.

As the Review.noted, many universities play essential roles in supporting commercialisation activities in their localities and regions. 4/n.

While universities.are critical to the UK’s globally recognised strengths in fundamental research, diversity of approach within the sector is an emerging strength of the UK’s RDI landscape… 3/n.

An increased focus on impact, introduced in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, has encouraged many universities to become increasingly outward facing. 2/n.

Very positive view of universities in Govt Response to the Nurse Review at ‘ ‘Our universities are the envy of the world, and the government is committed to maintaining this’ 1/n.

RT @johndavidblake: It should be a mark of pride for any nation that senior politicians (whatever you think of their policies) have achieve….

Just sometimes hard truths turn out to be good news. These people, at the sharp end of commercialising US academic research, are telling us that we’re good at…. the sharp end of commercialising UK research. It’s just that it’s a tough gig whichever country you are in.