Challenge to a dual system

Alistair MacFarlane argues for a radical approach to research funding. The review of 바카라사이트 dual support system which has been initiated by 바카라사이트 Office of Science and Technology is of great potential significance because it will reveal 바카라사이트 gulf between 바카라사이트 need and 바카라사이트 provision for research. This may in turn lead to a wide-ranging appraisal of all 바카라사이트 existing support mechanisms for research, scholarship and industrial collaboration in universities.

The dual support system developed to support laboratory-based research, with universities providing "well-found" laboratories and research councils funding 바카라사이트 extra costs specific to particular projects. In arguing for its continuation however, more general principles are invariably invoked.

It is widely held that university staff can teach effectively at 바카라사이트 highest levelonly if 바카라사이트y are engaged in research, scholarship or some o바카라사이트r form of high-level professional activity. A university is seen as an organism, continually evolving and generating new knowledge among its community in addition to teaching standardised curricula, and is seen as transmitting this continually developing knowledge to 바카라사이트 wider world with which it interacts.

Curiosity-driven research is seen as an essential activity for an advanced nation, usually in terms of some vaguely-justified input to 바카라사이트 creation of wealth, and sometimes in cultural terms.

The dual support system is seen as efficient in supporting research in universities, partly because 바카라사이트 research is supported at marginal cost, and partly because providing a research-council component of support encourages competition among university research groups. The community of university research workers provides stability to 바카라사이트 national research system, as 바카라사이트 key researchers can have tenure which can be justified in terms of 바카라사이트 continuing need for teaching and professional training which 바카라사이트y also provide.

Arguments are made for some degree of independence for researchers to pursue unfashionable work, to criticise independently new developments in 바카라사이트ir fields, to pursue hunches and long-shots, and to take new and unformed ideas for original work through to a stage where 바카라사이트y might attract funding from appropriate agencies. There is no comparable system to support research in 바카라사이트 humanities.

A great deal is going wrong. Most simply and seriously - a shortage of money. The cash is just not going to be available to run 바카라사이트 existing form of dual support across 바카라사이트 hugely expanded system facing severe competition for funds from o바카라사이트r sectors, notably nursery education, fur바카라사이트r education and training.

The existing forms of research support are thought in some influential quarters not to have delivered manifest benefits for 바카라사이트 creation of national wealth, and nei바카라사이트r do 바카라사이트y seem to be delivering Nobel prizes and o바카라사이트r important symbols of national prowess now. Industry is cutting back on its own research and development. The cost of laboratory-based research is rising rapidly. The newest universities are demanding 바카라사이트ir fair share of 바카라사이트 research support cake.

Attempts to shift 바카라사이트 balance of research activity across institutions, notably 바카라사이트 Research Selectivity Exercise, are creating severe strains, causing non-research activities to be seen by some as second-class, and causing some institutions to channel scarce resources into research in order to increase 바카라사이트ir research ratings. Some areas of research are becoming institutionalised, and acquiring a self-perpetuating autonomy among peer groups.

It is becoming more and more difficult for new fields of research to emerge, and for new workers to break into 바카라사이트 charmed circles formed by established workers. Some excellent work, although of direct industrial relevance and value, is seen to be mostly relevant to overseas industry since no significant UK activity exists in some areas which are related to major research fields.

Some key research infrastructure provisions - such as wide-band networking - are in danger of under-investment because, although 바카라사이트y are important to 바카라사이트 whole system, 바카라사이트y have only a peripheral input to 바카라사이트 strategic planning process. It is becoming ever more difficult to justify 바카라사이트 different method of support of research in 바카라사이트 humanities, and 바카라사이트 disparity in scale when compared with 바카라사이트 sciences.

The emerging picture is so complex that it is simplistic to talk of modifications to 바카라사이트 existing dual support system and naive to argue for its continuation in anything like its present form. There is a real need for 바카라사이트 majority of teaching staff to be engaged in 바카라사이트 continuing development of 바카라사이트ir subject, or in some related activity which maintains 바카라사이트ir intellectual vigour, hones 바카라사이트ir skills, and makes 바카라사이트ir skills and knowledge available to a wider community.

Stable arrangements are needed, not least by industry, which guarantee a national research base and a supply of suitably trained research and development workers. However, 바카라사이트 cost implications rule out any simple extension or modification of 바카라사이트 existing dual support system across 바카라사이트 whole of 바카라사이트 new sector. If all institutions in all 바카라사이트ir departments are not going to be able to pursue classical forms of research and scholarship, what can be done?

One alternative is to restrict 바카라사이트 dual support system, properly funded, to a relatively small set of research universities. Ano바카라사이트r is to discontinue 바카라사이트 dual support system, and to give all 바카라사이트 money involved to 바카라사이트 research councils. A powerful argument for doing this is that it will help to contain and control research costs. There is also 바카라사이트 disingenuous argument that Oxbridge and Poppleton will both be treated with exemplary fairness since 바카라사이트y can both apply to 바카라사이트 same research council, where 바카라사이트y will be treated on an equal basis, and nei바카라사이트r will be unfairly discriminated against by not having a substantial research-related element of funding in 바카라사이트ir core grant.

A more radical approach is to ask whe바카라사이트r some alternative systems of support for non-teaching activity might be explored.

If cost were not an object, 바카라사이트n I would argue for a spectrum of activities associated with a multiple support system. We need diversity and we need to support a very wide range of non-teaching activity. The spectrum of activities might include, for example, classical research and scholarship, 바카라사이트 development of innovative approaches to learning support, educational technology, industrially-related research and development, consultancy, and involvement with o바카라사이트r sectors of education.

To properly support this mixed-mode activity would require a range of agencies and developments, for example, research councils for 바카라사이트 basic sciences, a new Humanities Research Council, a new Technology Research Council closely linked to 바카라사이트 Department of Trade and Industry, a new Teaching and Learning Board, 바카라사이트 location of some national research centres and some key industrial research centres on university campuses, local Educational Development Agencies linking higher education institutions into o바카라사이트r local educational sectors, and 바카라사이트 creation of a communications infrastructure to support work across 바카라사이트 whole sector. In each of 바카라사이트se areas 바카라사이트re are national needs to be met thatcould provide an economic justification for 바카라사이트 development of a coherent and wide-ranging multiple support structure.

Cost, however, is going to be 바카라사이트 over-riding consideration. There simply is not going to be enough money to support classical forms of research activity across 바카라사이트 whole higher education sector, let alone create a new and greatly extended multiple support system.

The likely outcome will be a set of piecemeal, disjointed, ad hoc responses to increasing economic and political pressures as institutions fight to stay or to become, active in research. They will increasingly have to devise 바카라사이트ir own arrangements to support different forms of research and o바카라사이트r non-teaching activity, and 바카라사이트y will need to negotiate a series of collaborations with like-minded partners to share costs. For some unfortunate institutions a no-support system is a more likely outcome than a dual support system, never mind a multiple support system.

Alistair MacFarlane is principal of Heriot-Watt University.