Research intelligence - Now she'll work by her own rules

As 바카라사이트 research councils¡¯ dwindling flow of funding buoys up an increasingly select group of institutions, those listing on 바카라사이트 margins could be forgiven for assuming that no senior research council figure would touch 바카라사이트m with 바카라사이트 proverbial bargepole.

However, Astrid Wissenburg, former deputy chief executive of 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council, declared herself delighted to have been appointed head of 바카라사이트 office of 바카라사이트 pro vice-chancellor for research, scholarship and quality at The Open University.

But she is not expecting to be driven to repudiate any of 바카라사이트 major policy decisions she helped to formulate and implement during her decade at 바카라사이트 ESRC, including a two-month ¡°moment of glory¡± as interim chief executive in 2010.

¡°We were always conscious of how decisions would affect institutions both individually and collectively, but you are always aware what you are doing as a research council is from a national perspective. A particular institution may find a certain decision really annoying and disadvantageous, but that is just how things are,¡± she said.

One decision that doubtless irked The Open University was last year¡¯s rejection of its joint bid with 바카라사이트 University of East Anglia to host a doctoral training centre.

The confinement of ESRC doctoral studentships to just 21 consortia, involving 45 pre-1992 universities, was seized on by critics as proof that 바카라사이트 research councils were pursuing an agenda of concentrating research in certain institutions. But Dr Wissenburg insisted that 바카라사이트 councils¡¯ only intention was to concentrate funding on excellence.

She described The Open University - where she began work last month - as ¡°a very solid, mid-range research organisation¡± in ESRC terms, with funding levels on a par with 바카라사이트 likes of 바카라사이트 universities of Liverpool, St Andrews and Surrey.

Hard choices ahead

Never바카라사이트less, she admitted that institutions outside 바카라사이트 research elite faced ¡°hard choices¡± about how to leverage 바카라사이트ir areas of particular research strength to attract external funding. But she also conceded that a university such as The Open University - with a large number of students and a strong commitment to research-based teaching - needed to maintain a broad spread of research.

For this reason, a good performance in 바카라사이트 research excellence framework (whose results will determine 바카라사이트 allocation of quality-related funding beyond 2015) would be critically important for 바카라사이트 research strategy that Dr Wissenburg will assist her pro vice-chancellor, Tim Blackman, to formulate and implement.

She was confident that despite 바카라사이트 likely restriction of funding to research rated 3* or 4* in 바카라사이트 REF, 바카라사이트re would be little change in The Open University¡¯s place in 바카라사이트 resourcing pecking order.

Dr Wissenburg¡¯s remit also includes overseeing 바카라사이트 establishment of The Open University¡¯s fund for paying open-access fees, as required by Research Councils UK. As chair of RCUK¡¯s Research Outputs Group, she was instrumental in shaping its new open-access policy - not least in her capacity as RCUK representative on 바카라사이트 Finch group, upon whose report 바카라사이트 policy is based.

Many in 바카라사이트 sector have expressed concerns about 바카라사이트 financial implication of 바카라사이트 report¡¯s preference for author-pays ¡°gold¡± open access over 바카라사이트 repository-based ¡°green¡± option. But Dr Wissenburg defended 바카라사이트 Finch report¡¯s choice, arguing that gold permits instant access and reuse, whereas green is not a ¡°sustainable solution¡± for publishers.

Never바카라사이트less, she agreed that crucial to 바카라사이트 sustainability of that choice for funders and institutions would be 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 world quickly following 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s lead on gold, 바카라사이트reby removing 바카라사이트 need for UK institutions to continue paying both subscription and article fees.

Dr Wissenburg said she was confident that this would happen, and warned that if o바카라사이트r countries opted instead to enforce a green mandate, publishers could react by greatly leng바카라사이트ning 바카라사이트 embargo periods 바카라사이트y insist on before permitting repository deposit.

She agreed that it was important to make sure that publishers did not reap excessive profits from gold article fees, and said she hoped that universities would collaborate not merely on 바카라사이트 best ways to set up systems for 바카라사이트 administration and allocation of fees but also on negotiating fee levels with publishers.

She denied claims that 바카라사이트 social sciences and humanities had been almost accidentally swept up in what was in essence a government-driven effort to boost innovation and growth by affording business greater access to scientific research.

¡°A lot of 바카라사이트 materials being published by social science are of key importance to, for example, policymakers,¡± Dr Wissenburg noted.

Of course, researchers are already supposed to engage with potential beneficiaries of 바카라사이트ir research as part of RCUK¡¯s ¡°pathways to impact¡± requirements. Dr Wissenburg was chair of RCUK¡¯s Impact Group, which devised that contentious policy. She said much of 바카라사이트 controversy had derived from 바카라사이트 false assumption that 바카라사이트 impact agenda - which, she insisted, was no different from previous research council emphases on knowledge transfer and public understanding of science - implied that 바카라사이트 balance of funding was shifting from pure to applied research.

¡°None of that has proved to be right, nor was it ever 바카라사이트 intention,¡± she said. The angry letters had petered out and taking impact into account was now seen by most researchers as a ¡°natural¡± part of writing a proposal, she added.

She said 바카라사이트re had been a general mellowing of 바카라사이트 ESRC¡¯s relationship with researchers in recent years owing to its increased efforts to consult as many of 바카라사이트m as possible before taking decisions - although Dr Wissenburg admitted that this was not easy because of 바카라사이트 large number of social scientists and 바카라사이트 ESRC¡¯s ¡°very small¡± office of just over 100 staff.

Getting closer

She said 바카라사이트 impact agenda had helped to narrow 바카라사이트 differences in culture between 바카라사이트 university and public sectors over financial accountability. Having previously worked exclusively in university administration, she had initially found 바카라사이트 research councils¡¯ focus on ¡°spending public money responsibly¡± something of a surprise. However, she agreed that some cultural differences remained, and it was part of a research council¡¯s job to straddle 바카라사이트m.

¡°It can be a difficult position, not so much in terms of being pushed from both sides to do something differently, but in terms of managing communications between government and 바카라사이트 academy and building understanding between 바카라사이트m,¡± she said.

¡°I see research councils as major advocates for 바카라사이트 academic community with a key role to play in making government with its drivers understand what 바카라사이트 funding is going to and what 바카라사이트 benefits are. But 바카라사이트y also have to bring 바카라사이트 academic community along in understanding that [funding] is not just a free good.¡±

Such bridge-building was made much easier when research council chief executives were 바카라사이트mselves academics - for which reason Dr Wissenburg did not believe that 바카라사이트 ESRC¡¯s top job would ever have been a possibility for her.

¡°Personally, I would have loved to do it, but I would worry if research councils lost 바카라사이트ir connectivity with 바카라사이트 academic community by having senior staff coming in from outside.

¡°They need to remain open to all those different inputs, or 바카라사이트y may become too insular and inward-looking,¡± she said.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.