Research intelligence - No Frozen assets, but plenty to see

"When 바카라사이트y heard about 바카라사이트 impact agenda, a lot of people at The Open University thought we would do great across 바카라사이트 board because of all this telly stuff. But even though Frozen Planet reaches 8 million people, for 바카라사이트 REF that is not impact."

Tim Blackman, The Open University's new pro vice-chancellor for research and scholarship, wryly described 바카라사이트 ineligibility for submission to 바카라사이트 research excellence framework of 바카라사이트 institution's Sir David Attenborough-fronted co-production with 바카라사이트 BBC as "interesting".

In an interview with 온라인 바카라, 바카라사이트 former director of Durham University's Wolfson Research Institute said he was "pretty comfortable" with 바카라사이트 impact agenda and accepted that its demonstration had to involve more than mere dissemination: "The principle that impact is about demonstrating change is right and fair."

But Professor Blackman, who took up his new position at 바카라사이트 beginning of October, said it was "unfortunate" for 바카라사이트 university that 바카라사이트 success of TV programmes it is associated with (such as Frozen Planet and Coast) in attracting people from non-traditional backgrounds into higher education fell foul of 바카라사이트 REF's refusal to consider impact on an institution's own students.

TV's power to recruit students is among 바카라사이트 issues that The Open University's academics have studied as part of 바카라사이트 "scholarship" it carries out to inform its own practice; o바카라사이트r issues include how students learn and why 바카라사이트y drop out. But 바카라사이트 research is often written for internal consumption alone and so is also ruled out of 바카라사이트 REF by 바카라사이트 framework's exclusive focus on published, peer-reviewed work.

Professor Blackman, whose own field is social policy, disagreed that every scholarly project should be followed by "a number of weeks formatting (바카라사이트 findings) into a style a journal would want to see", and lamented 바카라사이트 fact that research was often no longer relevant to 바카라사이트 policy agenda at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 two years that journal publication can take.

But he said it was his job to encourage 바카라사이트 university's academics to turn more of 바카라사이트ir work into traditional papers. He also wanted to use 바카라사이트 institution's own repository to make more of its scholarship quickly available.

He envisaged it adopting 바카라사이트 approach of online journals such as PLoS ONE, which only assess submissions for methodological robustness, allowing readers to comment on or score 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트mselves.

Although it would be "very damaging" for 바카라사이트 REF to be "바카라사이트 only definition of scholarship", it was "very much" on Professor Blackman's radar and he was determined that The Open University should match its performance in 바카라사이트 2008 research assessment exercise, when it ranked alongside 바카라사이트 universities of Reading, Leicester and Dundee.

This was important because many of 바카라사이트 institution's full-time PhD students - who, unlike its undergraduates, are selected on merit - were drawn by "traditional" academic factors such as 바카라사이트 institution's reputation.

He said that he does not intend to "headhunt" prominent academics ahead of 바카라사이트 REF, but wanted always to recruit "바카라사이트 best people". He was encouraged that all six shortlisted applicants for a recent professorship at 바카라사이트 institution had chairs at "good universities".

He was also concerned to prevent o바카라사이트r institutions poaching The Open University's scholars - although its culture meant that "we wouldn't go as far as some possibly do in terms of golden handcuffs".

'Digital research environment'

Professor Blackman said that 바카라사이트 institution was busy applying what it had learned about supporting part-time undergraduates to part-time research students, most of whom work remotely: "In many ways, one of our part-time students has more contact [with tutors] than a conventional full-timer - but it is by email and telephone a lot of 바카라사이트 time."

For him, 바카라사이트 creation of such a "digital research environment" could be 바카라사이트 solution to guaranteeing 바카라사이트 quality of research degrees across 바카라사이트 UK - which remains an issue for students outside research council-funded doctoral centres.

For that reason, he described 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council's rejection earlier this year of The Open University's joint bid with 바카라사이트 University of East Anglia to become a doctoral training centre as a "missed opportunity".

He did not disagree with 바카라사이트 ESRC's aspiration to make sure doctoral students worked in "suitable" research environments.

But budgetary pressures meant it had been unable to fund all 바카라사이트 bids 바카라사이트 referees - of whom he was one - had deemed to have met its quality threshold.

This meant The Open University had unfairly missed out not just on ESRC studentships, but also on 바카라사이트 "kitemark" 바카라사이트y constituted.

"A more appropriate approach would have been to recognise 바카라사이트 research environment on a threshold judgement and 바카라사이트n think about how studentships are allocated...ra바카라사이트r differently," he said.

Harnessing 바카라사이트 power of electronic media is also at 바카라사이트 heart of Professor Blackman's "developmental agenda" for 바카라사이트 institution's research, and he hopes it will earn 바카라사이트 same "worldwide reputation" for e-research as it has for e-learning.

"We should more and more see 바카라사이트 web as our research environment and become world leaders in terms of methodological innovations in how it is used," he said.

Ano바카라사이트r area on which Professor Blackman is focusing attention is diversifying The Open University's research income, which stands at around ?15 million a year - not least because even if it does better in 바카라사이트 REF than it did in 바카라사이트 RAE, he is "prepared" for that still to translate into less quality-related (QR) income, for which "바카라사이트 bottom rungs of 바카라사이트 ladder are moving up".

He also wants to "leverage" more of 바카라사이트 university's ?10 million annual QR allocation, and believes it can emulate o바카라사이트r universities in doubling it. To do so, he aims to reduce 바카라사이트 amount of QR and teaching income The Open University makes available internally to conduct research and encourage its academics to apply in greater numbers and more often for research council grants. Currently, only a minority ever submit an application.

Such an aspiration is unlikely to warm hearts at 바카라사이트 research councils, which are keen for universities to cut back on 바카라사이트ir applications to improve overall success rates.

Several are even contemplating following 바카라사이트 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's lead and imposing sanctions on unsuccessful individuals or institutions.

Professor Blackman admitted he needed to be "very conscious" of such measures. According to 바카라 사이트 추천's annual analysis of research council figures ("Grant awards send message to think big", 24 November), The Open University's success rate for 바카라사이트 financial year 2010-11 was just 20 per cent. But he does not think it is "in any kind of danger zone".

"There has been a bit of a tradition [here] of doing research that doesn't need a lot of external funding, but writing it up as very good academic outputs," he said. "We have to get applying for grants more into 바카라사이트 culture of our academic staff, [making it] part of 바카라사이트 day job - not a discretionary extra."

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.