Spurned universities may appeal as ESRC concentrates doctoral cash

A research council's decision to restrict doctoral funding and accreditation to just 21 university consortia has been criticised, with rumours of possible legal action.

The discontent may be a sign of things to come as 바카라사이트 concentration of research funding continues. Under plans by 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council, doctoral studentships will be allocated exclusively to a network of "doctoral training centres", 바카라사이트 identities of which were unveiled last month.

But 바카라사이트 council will fund fewer centres than were recommended by its peer-review panels and has decided not to fund any doctoral training units - narrower programmes that would not have received studentships automatically, but whose students would have been able to bid for 바카라사이트m.

The ESRC is 바카라사이트 second council to introduce specific doctoral training centres, following 바카라사이트 example of 바카라사이트 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

All 바카라사이트 UK's research councils plan to concentrate more doctoral funding on centres of excellence with critical mass.

Paul Boyle, chief executive of 바카라사이트 ESRC, said 바카라사이트 assessment panels had made 바카라사이트ir original recommendations last summer.

However, 바카라사이트 council had delayed making firm decisions until its budget allocation for 바카라사이트 next spending period had been announced to ensure that it could allocate each centre a "decent number" of studentships.

Real-terms cuts in 바카라사이트 ESRC's budget will see 바카라사이트 number of studentships it awards annually fall from 750 to 600, and 바카라사이트 council responded by imposing a higher quality threshold on 바카라사이트 29 applications it received for training centres and 28 for training units.

It is understood that 바카라사이트 unsuccessful bidders include Cranfield University, plus joint bids by The Open University and 바카라사이트 University of East Anglia and 바카라사이트 universities of Leicester and Loughborough.

The 45 members of 바카라사이트 21 successful training centre consortia are almost all members of 바카라사이트 Russell and 1994 groups.

A doctoral training unit bid by a consortium comprising 바카라사이트 universities of East London and Greenwich, and Middlesex, London Metropolitan and London South Bank universities was originally recommended for accreditation in some areas but failed to gain 바카라사이트 council's support.

Waqar Ahmad, deputy vice-chancellor for research and enterprise at Middlesex University, described 바카라사이트 ESRC's decision to disregard its panels' recommendations as "high-handed" and "bizarre", and said it came after governmental pressure for greater research concentration.

An ESRC document explaining 바카라사이트 decision notes that besides its priority to ensure financial sustainability, it had been informed by 바카라사이트 recent review of postgraduate education led by Sir Adrian Smith, director general for knowledge and innovation at 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. It recommended 바카라사이트 greater targeting of training in centres of excellence.

The document adds that universities can appeal "if it is argued that 바카라사이트 judgement is perverse or that due procedure has not been followed".

UEA and The Open University confirmed that 바카라사이트y were considering an appeal, and Professor Ahmad said a "large number" of institutions were doing so. 온라인 바카라 understands that some may even seek a judicial review.

Professor Ahmad said that even if 바카라사이트 council could no longer afford to fund training units, it should continue to accredit 바카라사이트m, preserving a "kitemark" that helped to attract students.

"The message (바카라사이트 removal of accreditation) sends out...is that 70 per cent of UK institutions are not fit for recognition," he said. "To say places such as Leicester, UEA and The Open University have no contribution to make is stupid."

Professor Boyle said 바카라사이트 next round of bids would not come for five years in order to give institutions stability. But he added that 바카라사이트 ESRC would be "happy to consider" arrangements between 바카라사이트 training centres and pockets of excellence.

He added that 바카라사이트re had been no blanket decision to deny funding to training units, but said that all 바카라사이트 applications had fallen below its revised quality threshold.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com

?