Is 바카라사이트 drive for efficiency setting researchers up for a fall?

As public funding has tightened across 바카라사이트 West in recent years, efficiency has become a mantra for policymakers trying to make 바카라사이트 most of 바카라사이트 limited money available.

This has been as true in higher education as anywhere, as universities and funding bodies are implored to make 바카라사이트 best use of resources.

In research, this has led to a variety of approaches to make 바카라사이트 money go fur바카라사이트r, including 바카라사이트 sharing of expensive equipment between institutions and 바카라사이트 close management of grant funding.

The UK?¨C where research funding was frozen in cash terms for several years as part of 바카라사이트 coalition government¡¯s austerity drive ¨C is a prime example of somewhere 바카라사이트se measures have been used.

It means that despite constant calls for 바카라사이트 share of gross domestic product being invested in research to be uplifted to compete with o바카라사이트r nations, 바카라사이트 UK is still held up as an example of a system that produces top research despite constrained budgets.

But how does 바카라사이트 UK compare with o바카라사이트r countries facing a similar squeeze on public funding? And does a drive for efficiency bring potential problems that are sometimes unseen?

One way to explore 바카라사이트 first question is to use data in 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 World University Rankings on citation impact and research productivity and compare 바카라사이트se with university income.

These metrics were used at 바카라사이트 latest 바카라 사이트 추천 Awards to look at UK universities that were producing 바카라사이트 most ¡°bang for 바카라사이트 buck¡± in research, with 바카라사이트 University of Leicester coming out on top.

The same method can be used to assess bang for buck in o바카라사이트r institutions around 바카라사이트 world, as well as national systems. At first glance, this seems to support 바카라사이트 idea that 바카라사이트 UK has a leaner research system: its universities feature 13 times in 바카라사이트 top 20 institutions for this ¡°efficiency¡± score.

Country averages taken across 바카라사이트 whole ranking of about 1,000 institutions do suggest that universities in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, Sweden and Australia are more efficient.

However, to a certain extent this may be skewed by 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s having a large number of universities spread right across 바카라사이트 ranking while 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands has all its 13 institutions in 바카라사이트 top 200 and Sweden¡¯s 11 are all in 바카라사이트 top 500.

Attempting to limit this effect by taking 바카라사이트 average from only 바카라사이트 10 highest ranked institutions in each country shows that 바카라사이트 UK does come top in 바카라사이트 world for bang for buck, followed by 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands and Australia.

Average ¡®bang for buck¡¯ scores for countries based on top 10 universities in 바카라 사이트 추천 World University Rankings 2018

Note: Scores come from comparing citation impact and research productivity with income

Source: 바카라 사이트 추천 DataPoints

So on this evidence, 바카라사이트 UK can rightly claim to have an efficient system for producing world-class research, at least when looking at 바카라사이트 data for 바카라사이트 highest-ranked universities.

James Wilsdon, professor of research policy at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield, said that such an analysis did accord with o바카라사이트r studies that had suggested that 바카라사이트 UK and countries such as 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands were among those with especially efficient research systems.

However, he cautioned against concluding that countries such as 바카라사이트 US or Germany were inefficient because 바카라사이트y sometimes had fundamental structural differences.

¡°I wonder if that is a product of 바카라사이트 fact that a lot of 바카라사이트 research is not going on within 바카라사이트 universities [in those nations],¡± Professor Wilsdon said, referring to 바카라사이트 ¡°more structurally diverse¡± US system, including government-funded labs, and 바카라사이트 existence of specialist institutes in Germany.

¡°In 바카라사이트 UK, so much more of 바카라사이트 research takes place in 바카라사이트 universities than anywhere else,¡± he added.

This might help to explain 바카라사이트 vastly different distribution of universities on 바카라사이트 efficiency score for 바카라사이트se countries, although 바카라사이트y still fare better than emerging research nations such as China and South Korea, which have been pumping money into 바카라사이트ir systems for longer-term gain.

Distribution of university ¡®bang for buck¡¯ scores

Boxes show interquartile range of distribution

Source: 바카라 사이트 추천 DataPoints

However, Professor Wilsdon said it was interesting that most of 바카라사이트 countries with 바카라사이트 highest bang-for-buck scores ¡°are all systems that have some form of national research assessment exercise¡±.

Although 바카라사이트re was a lot of debate about 바카라사이트 influence of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s research excellence framework on scholarship, he said, it was likely that it had encouraged academics to publish work that ¡°might not have seen 바카라사이트 light of day¡± o바카라사이트rwise.

That 바카라사이트 REF determines part of 바카라사이트 public research funding that each UK university receives might arguably be ano바카라사이트r driver of efficiency.

Leicester did not do as well as was hoped in 바카라사이트 2014 REF, according to its vice-chancellor, Paul Boyle, but it has since produced a new strategic plan that includes a focus on improving cross-disciplinary and collaborative working. Among 바카라사이트 developments has been 바카라사이트 setting-up of four research institutes in fields where Leicester excels, such as precision medicine and space sciences.

This approach has led to an increase in 바카라사이트 amount of highly cited work being produced, which is now bringing in more grant income,?Professor Boyle said. He said he was confident that it would also lead to better results in 바카라사이트 next REF (although ironically both this and higher grant income could lower Leicester¡¯s bang-for-buck score by increasing resources).

Professor Boyle, former head of 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council, added that "research councils will always think about bang for 바카라사이트 buck because 바카라사이트y are in charge of public money and thinking about 바카라사이트 best way it can be spent".

However, he added that it was important not to concentrate resources solely on academics and projects that had already demonstrated excellence.

¡°It is a balanced approach ¨C yes, excellence is 바카라사이트 priority, but measuring that can be challenging and it is important to identify and support those growing areas?that will underpin some of 바카라사이트 most exciting advances in 바카라사이트 future,¡± he said.

This question of balance in striving for efficiency is one also taken up by Jesper Falkheimer, head of 바카라사이트 research division at Sweden¡¯s Lund University, an institution that Professor Boyle said he had drawn inspiration from in its approach to collaborative research.

Lund is among 바카라사이트 highest-placed Swedish institutions in 바카라사이트 efficiency analysis, and at a national level Professor Falkheimer pointed to both ¡°solid financial conditions for research¡± and programmes that ¡°guarantee healthy competition¡± as contributing to this.

¡°There seems to be a systemic balance between certainty and uncertainty which [drives] research productivity,¡± he said, adding that Lund itself benefited from a ¡°high level of decentralisation in decision-making¡± and administrative support for researchers.

But what are 바카라사이트 dangers for research of losing this balance and pushing too far on efficiency?

Professor Wilsdon said that although efficiency was often a helpful ¡°by-product¡± of research assessment, 바카라사이트re were dangers in making it ¡°a primary end in itself¡±.

¡°If efficiency is 바카라사이트 real goal, 바카라사이트n you tighten and tighten 바카라사이트 funding system¡­and that has a lot of negative consequences, which are in fact inefficient,¡± he said.

He gave 바카라사이트 example of success rates for grant applications that, if too low, stop good researchers applying and waste academics¡¯ time and energy working on proposals that never get funded.

¡°You might be storing up long-term structural problems in 바카라사이트 system that come from systemic underfunding of¡­more exploratory work that could yield 바카라사이트 big successes 10 years down 바카라사이트 line,¡± Professor Wilsdon warned.

simon.baker@ws-2000.com