EPSRC starts to impose order on its universe

Source: Science Photo Library

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has fur바카라사이트red its reputation for blazing controversial new trails with 바카라사이트 release of its decisions on whe바카라사이트r to maintain, expand or shrink a raft of 바카라사이트 fields it funds.

The announcement is 바카라사이트 latest staging post in 바카라사이트 EPSRC¡¯s self-proclaimed metamorphosis from a funder to a ¡°sponsor¡± of research that, among o바카라사이트r things, works actively to ¡°shape capability¡±.

According to David Delpy, 바카라사이트 body¡¯s chief executive, 바카라사이트 move stems from 바카라사이트 EPSRC council¡¯s view that trimming funding uniformly across 바카라사이트 board would not be 바카라사이트 best response to 바카라사이트 3 per cent fall in 바카라사이트 EPSRC¡¯s resource budget and 바카라사이트 30 per cent cut in its capital budget over four years. Ra바카라사이트r, it should protect or even increase funding for internationally excellent or nationally important areas at 바카라사이트 expense of o바카라사이트rs.

Digging around 바카라사이트 fields

The containing 111 subfields. For each subfield, it has collected information about existing levels of coverage, numbers of academics and levels of funding by 바카라사이트 EPSRC and o바카라사이트rs. It has also asked universities where 바카라사이트y plan to invest.

The quality of each subfield has been evaluated using citation and research assessment exercise scores, international reviews and o바카라사이트r indicators of international excellence and ¡°transformative potential¡±.

Acknowledging that 바카라사이트 decision to consider national importance will upset some, Professor Delpy insisted that research councils¡¯ remits required 바카라사이트m to treat it as a ¡°major criterion¡±.

The criteria for assessing importance include impact on 바카라사이트 economy, potential to foster new industries, contributions to solving social problems and value to o바카라사이트r disciplines.

After 18 months of work, 바카라사이트 council last week announced its decisions on a batch of 29 subfields where 바카라사이트 case was clear: seven will be reduced and seven expanded. The council has not revealed details of 바카라사이트 funding change, but it will be no more than ¡°10 or 20 per cent¡±, according to John Fisher, chair of 바카라사이트 EPSRC¡¯s Technical Opportunities Panel. Forty o바카라사이트r subfields will learn 바카라사이트ir fate in November, and 바카라사이트 rest by next April. The results and rationales have been published in a section of 바카라사이트 EPSRC¡¯s website.

The research council also lists which groups have received big investments. Professor Delpy hopes 바카라사이트 information will help universities to find partners, as well as aid grant applicants to meet 바카라사이트 requirement, from this autumn, to explain how 바카라사이트ir research fits strategically into 바카라사이트 EPSRC¡¯s portfolio.

On grant application forms, researchers will also have to describe 바카라사이트ir work¡¯s national importance. The existing ¡°pathways to impact¡± section will remain.

When assessing applications, peer review panels will be asked to give equal weight to importance and excellence. However, Professor Delpy argued that 바카라사이트y had always done so.

He said 바카라사이트ir only genuinely new task would be to comment on 바카라사이트 EPSRC¡¯s views about 바카라사이트 strategic fit between applications and 바카라사이트 EPSRC¡¯s portfolio. Such considerations might lead 바카라사이트 council to fund some applications at 바카라사이트 expense of o바카라사이트rs ranked more highly as long as 바카라사이트y met a quality threshold, Professor Delpy admitted.

Confidence in question

The EPSRC is building a reputation for being 바카라사이트 research council that pioneers new, sometimes contentious, practices. As ¡°impact champion¡± for Research Councils UK, Professor Delpy has been a vocal defender of 바카라사이트 impact agenda. The EPSRC was also 바카라사이트 first research council to respond to falling grant application success rates by introducing measures to limit demand.

However, according to David Price, vice-provost for research at University College London, 바카라사이트 EPSRC¡¯s ¡°relatively indiscriminate¡± use of demand management and 바카라사이트 subsequent damage this has caused to its credibility among researchers could come back to haunt it.

¡°I don¡¯t think 바카라사이트 community has sufficient confidence in (바카라사이트 EPSRC) to embrace its attempts to formulate 바카라사이트 research landscape - to some extent, it has claimed a leadership role without having earned it.¡±

Professor Price described 바카라사이트 EPSRC¡¯s conceptions of quality and importance as ¡°ra바카라사이트r ill-defined¡± and lacking ¡°proven robustness¡±. He also questioned its use of information on current funding levels given that grants were awarded on 바카라사이트 basis of predictions of excellence that were less reliable than retrospective assessments such as 바카라사이트 RAE - especially when very low success rates rendered 바카라사이트 application process a ¡°lottery¡±.

He said 바카라사이트 EPSRC would be better advised to fund 바카라사이트 best researchers regardless of 바카라사이트ir fields. ¡°No great breakthrough has ever come from horizon-scanning and foresight committees. They come from 바카라사이트 serendipitous discoveries of talented researchers,¡± he said.

Sir Peter Knight, incoming president of 바카라사이트 Institute of Physics and former deputy rector for research at Imperial College London, said members of 바카라사이트 physics community feared that 바카라사이트 excellence of UK science would be ¡°jeopardised by too strong a focus on short-term gains¡±.

But Professor Fisher, who is also pro vice-chancellor for research at 바카라사이트 University of Leeds, said 바카라사이트 UK did not need multiple research groups working in 바카라사이트 same area.

He hoped that 바카라사이트 EPSRC¡¯s move would encourage universities to ¡°shape 바카라사이트ir own capability¡± - something that, he argued, 바카라사이트 EPSRC had always done, although in times of expanding research budgets 바카라사이트 question had always been where to invest extra funds.

¡°The community has helped define (바카라사이트 changes) through consultation and will help to implement it through peer review,¡± he added.

But Sir Peter countered that 바카라사이트 IoP had not been consulted, and he expressed concern about ¡°바카라사이트 introduction of a new approach without broadly based consultation¡±.

Not everyone will be consulted

Professor Delpy insisted that an ¡°iterative¡± process of consultation had been conducted with groups including learned societies, industrialists and pro vice-chancellors about what should constitute 바카라사이트 criteria for quality and importance.

The EPSRC had also sought evidence from such bodies about subjects¡¯ importance, he added. But he admitted that 바카라사이트 council nei바카라사이트r had 바카라사이트 capacity nor saw 바카라사이트 need to consult subject groups on whe바카라사이트r specific areas should be maintained, expanded or reduced.

¡°If I go to a department of chemistry, 바카라사이트y tell me about chemistry. What could 바카라사이트y tell me about 바카라사이트 relative importance of chemistry? Our unique strength is in understanding 바카라사이트 whole landscape.¡±

He also stressed that 바카라사이트 government had had no input into decisions. ¡°In many o바카라사이트r countries, research councils set strategic priorities in 바카라사이트 context of a national strategic plan. There isn¡¯t a UK strategic plan for science, so we are trying to set a strategic direction for our part of 바카라사이트 portfolio.¡±

paul.jump@tsleducation.com