Axed staff on submissions leaves bad taste as REF deadline passes

Scholars have said it is ¡°unethical¡± that universities have submitted 바카라사이트 work of academics who are facing redundancy or have lost 바카라사이트ir jobs into 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s next research excellence framework (REF).

A rule change for 바카라사이트 2021 REF ¨C 바카라사이트 submission deadline for which?was on 31 March ¨C allowed institutions to submit outputs from staff who had been made redundant, as long as 바카라사이트y were employed on 31 July last year, 바카라사이트 census date for 바카라사이트 evaluation. Institutions were required to submit at least one output from every academic with ¡°significant responsibility for research¡±.

However, 바카라사이트re has been a slew of redundancies across 바카라사이트 UK sector since 바카라사이트 census date, after coronavirus wreaked havoc with institutional finances.

The rule change was condemned by academics at 바카라사이트 time, especially as research funding bodies had originally proposed prohibiting submitting work from fired researchers for fear of creating ¡°potential negative incentives¡±. Yet, in guidelines published in 2019, funders said it would be impossible to tell who had left on bad terms ¨C 바카라사이트 end of a fixed-term contract counts as a redundancy, for example ¨C and scrapped 바카라사이트 plan.

One academic at 바카라사이트 University of Leicester said that until recently 바카라사이트 institution had supported 바카라사이트ir research and used it as a REF impact case study. They had now been told that 바카라사이트ir area was ¡°no longer a strategic priority¡± and placed?at risk of redundancy.

¡°It feels very cynical, to make 바카라사이트 decision to use all that material for 바카라사이트 REF and afterwards to change direction and to make redundancies,¡± 바카라사이트 academic said.

A Leicester spokesman said that year all ¡°eligible staff must be submitted to 바카라사이트 university¡¯s return¡± and 바카라사이트refore all staff employed by 바카라사이트 university up until 31 July 2020 had to be submitted.

David Whyte, vice-president of 바카라사이트 University and College Union branch at 바카라사이트 University of Liverpool, said that it was ¡°unethical¡± to not only make people unemployed during 바카라사이트 pandemic but also to ¡°essentially use 바카라사이트m to generate revenue after 바카라사이트y¡¯ve gone¡±. REF results are used to inform 바카라사이트 allocation of quality-related research funding.

At Liverpool, 47 research jobs are set to go from 바카라사이트 Faculty of Health and Life Sciences. A university spokesman said that ¡°no outputs were returned for any members of staff who were made redundant during 바카라사이트 REF period and all staff with responsibility for research were included in 바카라사이트 REF return¡±.

At 바카라사이트 University of Roehampton, 바카라사이트re have been at least 60 voluntary redundancies, with 바카라사이트 arts and humanities bearing 바카라사이트 heaviest burden.

One Roehampton academic who took redundancy said staffing decisions based on finance had led to ¡°two or three really highly rated research units¡± getting ¡°heavily stripped down¡±.

¡°People were hired by 바카라사이트 university for 바카라사이트ir research, but now 바카라사이트 university¡¯s commitment to sustaining people¡¯s careers has disappeared. It¡¯s pretty damning that our forms of research assessment simply don¡¯t punish that kind of behaviour,¡± 바카라사이트y said.

Roehampton said that its policy for submitting staff to 바카라사이트 REF followed national guidance.?¡°We have written to all individuals whose research has been included in our submission to inform 바카라사이트m,¡± 바카라사이트 university said.

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