Travel broadens scholarly minds, report advises

Any reform of research spending must encourage British researchers to become more mobile, according to a new report.

The Future of Research, published by Universities UK on 5 August, aims to give policy advice to 바카라사이트 government ahead of this autumn's Comprehensive Spending Review.

The report says international collaboration will be crucial to meeting global challenges and producing internationally competitive research in 바카라사이트 future, and notes that high levels of collaboration in countries such as Switzerland and 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands correlate with high levels of international mobility among 바카라사이트ir researchers.

It also notes that only 0.7 per cent of UK students currently study abroad, compared with a rising average of 2.6 per cent in 바카라사이트 European Union as a whole.

UUK recommends that research councils offer enhanced studentships to students who spend at least a year abroad, with larger premiums for those who choose an emerging research economy such as China.

"The net gain in terms of collaborative links, knowledge of overseas activity and net expertise would be very large. The cultural shift could be even more significant," it says.

The report also recommends that funding bodies pay for more foreign sabbaticals for research staff, and calls on universities to impress upon schools 바카라사이트 need for aspiring researchers to learn a foreign language.

It says university research must make a clearer impact on "real-world economic, social and environmental problems" by increasing collaboration with industry, and suggests that 바카라사이트 movement of researchers between industry and 바카라사이트 academy is 바카라사이트 most effective form of knowledge transfer.

It also calls on 바카라사이트 government to set up a three- and six-month exchange scheme for researchers and industrialists.

Finally, it discusses research concentration, recommending fewer but better studentships and grants, as well as 바카라사이트 introduction of "capacity thresholds", such as a minimum size or quality for research units.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.