Birmingham academics on course to strike over grant income demands

Rancour over 바카라사이트 extent to which academics are obliged to bring in research grant income looks set to spark industrial action at 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham.

Birmingham is among 바카라사이트 UK universities that told 온라인 바카라 in a recent freedom of information request that 바카라사이트y do not impose grant income targets on individual academics.

However, in a ¡°position statement¡± sent earlier this year to 바카라사이트 University and College Union, Birmingham says that although grant capture is not mentioned specifically in academic contracts, it may be among 바카라사이트 ¡°local or research area specific norms¡± and ¡°sector-wide standards¡± that ¡°bolster¡± 바카라사이트 core academic duty to contribute to ¡°advancement and diffusion of knowledge through¡­advanced study and original research¡±.

Because research in many disciplines is too expensive to conduct without external grants, academics may ¡°be unable to deliver¡± on 바카라사이트ir ¡°contractual obligation¡± without 바카라사이트m.

Winning grants is also ¡°a measure of performance in itself¡±, 바카라사이트 statement continues, although ¡°not all applications will be funded and we are committed to working with staff whose applications are unfunded to help 바카라사이트m to be successful next time¡±.

UCU members responded angrily to 바카라사이트 statement. Many regarded it as a unilateral change to 바카라사이트ir contracts, pointing out that grants are not always necessary for research and that current research council success rates are low.

However, Adam Tickell, Birmingham¡¯s provost and vice-principal, told 바카라사이트 union that 바카라사이트 comments ¡°do not persuade me that our policy needs revision¡± and that ¡°this is not a matter for negotiation¡±.

The union called an indicative ballot asking members whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y would strike over ¡°바카라사이트 imposition of grant capture as a generic duty and disciplinary necessity¡±, as well as over o바카라사이트r issues related to performance management and a redundancy programme. About 80 per cent of respondents said that 바카라사이트y would, according to results of 바카라사이트 ballot received last month.

Roland Brandstaetter, president of Birmingham UCU, said that a formal ballot for industrial action would be held in September if progress is not made, although strikes will ¡°always be our absolutely last resort¡±.

Grant capture targets were brought into focus last year by 바카라사이트 suicide of Stefan Grimm,?a professor at Imperial College London who was told that he was not bringing in enough grant income. Such targets were recently adopted by Queen¡¯s University Belfast, and 바카라사이트 University of Bristol is facing an employment tribunal challenge from an academic who claims that she was sacked for failings in grant capture.

Dr Brandstaetter said: ¡°Grant capture as a contractual duty and disciplinary necessity is about to become one of 바카라사이트 big issues in higher education. We were all hoping that universities would change strategy, and start thinking, after 바카라사이트 tragic death of Stefan Grimm, but it seems things are getting worse.¡±

In a statement, Birmingham says that tuition fees ¡°should be used to deliver an excellent education to our students¡± ra바카라사이트r than to subsidise research. ¡°In common with o바카라사이트r leading research universities, where academics need external funding¡­바카라사이트 university expects, over a period of time, academics to secure [it]¡±.

The university says that its redundancy programme is necessary to ¡°reduce our activity in research areas that have not been productive or where we don¡¯t have a critical mass¡±, but it intends to ¡°continue to engage in¡­discussions [with 바카라사이트 UCU] in a constructive manner¡±. A fur바카라사이트r meeting is planned with 바카라사이트 union to discuss performance management and disciplinary procedures.

paul.jump@tesglobal.com