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UKRI, Research England & the REF
David Sweeney
Executive Chair Designate, Research England
HEFCE Annual Meeting
26 October 2017
UK Research and Innovation
What is UK Research and Innovation?
UKRI
Board and
Corporate
functions
MRC
NERC
ESRCEPSRC
BBSRC
AHRC
Innovate
UK
Research
England
Scottish
Funding
Council
HEFCW
Northern
Ireland
ExecutiveSTFC
The vision for UK Research and Innovation
To bean outstanding researchand innovation agency
Knowledge
Push the frontiers of human knowledge
Economy
Deliver economic impact and create better jobs
Society
Create social impact by supporting our society to
become stronger and healthier
UK Research and Innovation
UK Research and Innovation
Building on existing strengths
• Research Councils and Innovate UK
• Dual support and Research England
• Haldane Principle
• Excellence and rigour
• Global outlook Image: Lib
rary
of
Congre
ss
UK Research and Innovation
Opportunities
• Increased funding:
• £4.7 billion additional funding to 2021
• Strong commitment to science and research
• Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund
• Newton Fund
• Global Challenges Research Fund
UK Research and Innovation
Tackling important problems
• Fundamental questions
• Needs of society – working with government
• Advancing the UK economy
• Research and innovation as a key element of UK’s place in the world
UK Research and Innovation
Asking fundamental questions
• Host defence mechanisms
• Structure of the cell
• Gravitational waves
• Materials science
• Poverty measurement
• Hokusai
UK Research and Innovation
Needs of society
• Hydrology and meteorology
• Air quality
• Infectious diseases
• Ageing
• Security
• Economy
UK Research and Innovation
Advancing the UK economy
Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund
• First wave of challenges includes:
• Batteries
• Pharmaceutical advanced manufacturing technologies
• Robotics in hazardous environments
• Second wave announced later this year
UK Research and Innovation
The UK’s place in the world
Global Challenges Research Fund
• Focus areas:
• Equitable access to sustainable development
• Sustainable economies and societies
• Human rights, good governance and social justice
Global research: e.g. ALMA
UK Research and Innovation
Conduct of research
Issues
• Reproducibility
• Openness
• Communication of research and innovation
• Careers
• Diversity
• Right incentives
Image: A
cadem
y o
f M
edic
al S
cie
nces
Research England’s role
Research England will create and sustain the conditions for a healthy and dynamic research and knowledge exchange system in English higher education institutions.
UK Research and Innovation
It will have four main roles:• Funding for HEIs to deliver research and KE, unlocking potential, generating impact,
meeting national priorities and global challenges• System intelligence and analytics: gathering evidence of impact of current and future
R+KE policy on English university sector, including on effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability
• Engagement with HEIs: understanding HEI strategy, capability and capacity, delivering policy to support continuous improvement and behaviour change
• Close working with devolved administrations on UK-wide activity to help UKRI deliver national priorities and become experts on UK HE system.
Research England within UKRI
Like the other eight councils, Research England will have devolved budgets and responsibilities within UKRI that relate to its funding and policies for English HEIs.
UK Research and Innovation
There are significant opportunities of including RE within UKRI. RE will:
• Take a HEI view that complements the disciplinary focus of RCs and business focus of Innovate UK
• Have a distinctive England-only role that will need to link with devolved administrations to help UKRI develop a UK-wide focus on HEI issues
• Provide underpinning funding for HEIs that complements project focus of research councils and demand-side innovation focus of Innovate UK
• Deliver capital funding that supports new partnerships between universities and business, including via RPIF
• Support high-performance knowledge exchange through capacity and capability development, including working with OfS on HEIF.
UKRI and OfS joint working
Skills capability and progression
Knowledge exchange
Infrastructure funding
Financial sustainability and efficiency of the HE system and providers
Accountability and assurance
Evidence gathering and system intelligence
TEF and REF
UK Research and Innovation
The Government has published a fact sheet, outlining nine areas of joint working between UKRI and OfS, and where it is expected that Research England will play a significant coordination role:
Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF)
• McMillan review/group – focussed on continuous improvement in university knowledge exchange
• New public framework announced by Universities Minister on 12 October 2017
• Understanding and driving outperformance, through comparisons
• Need for universities to meet expectations of the framework, as basis for funding
• HEFCE to announce workplan and timetable shortly, including basis for Research England to consult after April 2018
Impact of Lord Stern’s recommendations
Key principles:
• Lower burden
• Less game-playing
• Less personalisation, more institutionally focused
• Recognition for investment
• Making space for long-term research
• More rounded view of research activity
• Interdisciplinary emphasis
• Broaden impact
Implementing the Stern Review
Key decisions on:
• Deepening and broadening impact.
• Interdisciplinary research.
• Piloting assessment at the level of the institution.
Implementing the Stern Review
Further discussion on:
• Approach to submitting all staff.
• Non-portability of outputs.
Timetable
Autumn 2017Invite nominations for panel membersFurther decisions on the arrangements for submitting staff and outputs
Winter 2017-18 Appoint panels
Spring 2018 Panels meet to develop criteria
Summer to Autumn 2018 Publish draft guidance, and consultation on panel criteria
Winter 2018-19 Publish final guidance and criteria
2019 Complete preparation of submission systems
2020 Submission phase
2021 Assessment phase