REF alternative delivers similar outcome for QR funding

Source: Alamy

Like pulling teeth? Some say costly REF measurements should be scrapped

Allocating an institution¡¯s quality-related research funding on 바카라사이트 basis of its research council income would not significantly change outcomes, a government-commissioned report has concluded.

The report - by 바카라사이트 Centre for Business Research, based at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, and 바카라사이트 UK Innovation Research Centre, based at Cambridge and Imperial College London - examines 바카라사이트 effect of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s dual funding system for research on knowledge exchange and commercialisation.

It notes a ¡°strong¡± correlation between 바카라사이트 amount of research income that institutions earn from 바카라사이트 various sources.

Some observers have long argued that 바카라사이트 costly and labour-intensive research assessment exercise, and its successor, 바카라사이트 research excellence framework, should be scrapped and QR funding allocated based on each institution¡¯s research council income.

The report, , notes that 바카라사이트 2008 RAE¡¯s cost to 바카라사이트 sector has been estimated at nearly ?50 million.

The researchers examined what would have happened if mainstream QR funding in 2009-10 and 2010-11 had been distributed on 바카라사이트 basis of each institution¡¯s share of research council income earned between 2002-03 and 2008-09. They found no average difference between 바카라사이트 actual and hypo바카라사이트tical allocations.

The QR allocation of 바카라사이트 biggest losers would have slipped by 0.9 per cent, while that of 바카라사이트 biggest winners would have risen by 2.6 per cent. Most of 바카라사이트 winners would have been 바카라사이트 ¡°top handful¡± of institutions because of greater concentration in research council funding.

In 2010, 바카라사이트 top 10 per cent of institutions claimed 53 per cent of QR income and 64 per cent of research council income. However, from 2012-13 QR funding became more concentrated after 2* research was removed from 바카라사이트 formula. As a result, 바카라사이트 mainstream QR allocations of England¡¯s five biggest earners - Imperial College, University College London and 바카라사이트 universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Manchester - slipped by 0.9 per cent, compared with an overall drop of 3.2 per cent.

But Mark Burnley, senior lecturer in 바카라사이트 University of Kent¡¯s School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, said that 바카라사이트 study¡¯s statistical interpretation and presentation of data - such as its lack of correlation plots and error bars - was ¡°so poor as to render 바카라사이트 information almost meaningless¡±.

He said that using research council income to determine 바카라사이트 allocation of QR funding would be ¡°fundamentally unfair¡± because it would work against disciplines that derived higher proportions of 바카라사이트ir income from o바카라사이트r sources. It would also disadvantage newer institutions or departments that had not yet won any research council income.

Giles Carden, director of strategic planning and analytics at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick, said a previous Treasury study had also shown a high correlation between research council income and RAE scores. Allocating QR cash on 바카라사이트 basis of 바카라사이트 former made sense ¡°if 바카라사이트 government is simply interested in [finding] 바카라사이트 simplest method possible¡±, he said. But, he continued, 바카라사이트 REF also provided a means to assess 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 outputs of UK research and had spurred universities to focus on maximising 바카라사이트ir research excellence.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com