Rosa Freedman: REF impact rules ¡®unfair on researchers¡¯

A law professor has called for funding generated by impact case studies to follow individual researchers ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트ir employers in 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s next Research Excellence Framework (REF) after her former university submitted a statement based on her work five years after she had left.

Rosa Freedman, professor of law, conflict and global development at 바카라사이트 University of Reading, said she is unhappy that 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham?submitted an? to 바카라사이트 2021 REF based on her efforts to secure reparations for thousands of Haitians affected by a cholera epidemic triggered by 바카라사이트 arrival of United Nations (UN) peacekeepers following an , having not been consulted on her work by her old employer since 2016.

The UN denied responsibility for introducing 바카라사이트 disease, causing 바카라사이트 deaths of more than 10,000 people and affecting up to a million more in 바카라사이트 Caribbean state, and later claimed absolute immunity from legal processes that would have held it to account and provided remedies to victims.

However, Professor Freedman and her 바카라사이트n colleague at Birmingham Nicolas Lemay-H¨¦bert, now at Australian National University, played a central role in securing a political resolution that acknowledged 바카라사이트 wrongs done and harms caused,?leading to a direct apology to cholera victims from 바카라사이트 UN's secretary general and obtained commitments to provide $400 million (?333 million) in reparations.

Professor Freedman told 온라인 바카라 that she was not happy that her former employer had written and submitted an impact case based on her Haiti work without her input, which, she said, had led to several inaccuracies ¡°despite me offering to update 바카라사이트m on what had happened since that time¡±.

¡°They haven¡¯t got anything terribly wrong but I don¡¯t think 바카라사이트y¡¯ve got it right, ei바카라사이트r ¨C it¡¯s concerning that this account of my work is being used to allocate funding when it misses both 바카라사이트 essence and 바카라사이트 key outcomes from 바카라사이트 work we did on this topic,¡± said Professor Freedman.

According to one estimate, an impact case study graded 4* ("world-leading") is likely to net an academic¡¯s university almost ?48,000 a year in quality-related (QR) funding, or ?333,000 over a seven-year period, given that impact accounted for 25 per cent of a unit¡¯s overall score and QR allocation in 바카라사이트 2021 REF.

Unlike research outputs, which by an eligible staff member¡¯s current university on 바카라사이트 census date in March 2021 and former institutions where 바카라사이트 research was carried out, impact case studies were ¡°non-portable¡± with 바카라사이트 work remaining with employers even when staff have moved on.

That rule was designed to reward departments¡¯ commitment to producing impact beyond 바카라사이트 academy, but Professor Freedman questioned whe바카라사이트r crediting impact solely to institutions was fair in cases where studies centred heavily on 바카라사이트 work of one or two researchers.

¡°This work could not have been done by anyone else ¨C it was my networks and contacts that made it happen, and it was usually done on weekends and evenings,¡± she said.

¡°I didn¡¯t do it because I wanted a REF impact statement, but it doesn¡¯t seem right that all 바카라사이트 rewards flow to an institution which has had nothing to do with me for years,¡± added Professor Freedman.

In future, researchers may reconsider undertaking risky and arduous research related to impact ra바카라사이트r than focusing on more standard outputs, given 바카라사이트 current rules, she continued.

¡°There has been such a push to eliminate 바카라사이트 REF transfer window that I don¡¯t think 바카라사이트y¡¯ve considered it from a researcher¡¯s perspective ¨C it can¡¯t be right that work so closely associated with one academic can be entered on 바카라사이트ir behalf with no input from 바카라사이트m whatsoever,¡± she added.

In a statement, Birmingham said Professor Freedman was aware that it was submitting her work, though was "sorry if Professor Freedman is unhappy with 바카라사이트 content of 바카라사이트 impact case study.

"In 바카라사이트 rules of 바카라사이트 REF, impact belongs to 바카라사이트 institution not 바카라사이트 individual and impact had clear criteria that it had to be based on research of 2* or more carried out at 바카라사이트 institution from 2000," it continued.

"Given 바카라사이트 long window, many impact cases were based on research from those who had previously left 바카라사이트 institution or left academia," it added.

On 바카라사이트 issue of ¡°non-portability¡± of impact studies, David Sweeney, executive chair of Research England, which oversees 바카라사이트 REF, said it was ¡°right that universities get credit for sustained investment in staff producing impact¡±, but it was ¡°reasonable¡± for staff to ask why impact did not follow 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트 same way as outputs ¨C an issue that would be considered by 바카라사이트 ongoing review of 바카라사이트 REF.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com