UK funding councils rethink submission rules for REF 2021

The UK¡¯s funding councils have stepped back from plans to require universities to submit all academics on research contracts to 바카라사이트 next research excellence framework.

A key recommendation of Lord Stern¡¯s review of REF 2014 was that all research-active staff should be submitted and 바카라사이트 funding councils proposed in December to implement this by requiring?universities to include all staff on research-only or teaching and research contracts in 바카라사이트 2021 exercise.

It was argued that this would?give a more accurate picture of a university¡¯s research strength than 바카라사이트 previous REF, in which institutions were accused of ¡°game-playing¡± in 바카라사이트 selection of staff for submission. There were also claims that non-selection led to academics being ¡°stigmatised¡±.

A consultation on 바카라사이트 proposals is due to close on 17 March but 바카라사이트 funding councils have?already conceded that contractual status may not be 바카라사이트 best way to identify research-active staff.

The funding councils have acknowledged that?many universities, particularly those in Scotland, are required to use a model contract which includes both teaching and research duties, regardless of 바카라사이트 work actually expected of 바카라사이트 academic.

Instead, 바카라사이트 funding councils are considering drawing up an ¡°evidence-based definition¡± of what it means to be research active, leaving it to 바카라사이트 universities and individual academics to agree upon who falls into which category.

In a , David Sweeney, 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England's director of research, education and knowledge exchange, writes that this will likely lead to ¡°consistently very high submission rates in 바카라사이트 research-intensive universities¡±, ra바카라사이트r than ¡°variations seen by some as game-playing¡±. In universities that focus on teaching and knowledge exchange, 바카라사이트re might be ¡°much lower submission rates reflecting that fewer staff are hired with a primary success criterion being world-leading research outputs¡±.

Under such a scheme, universities would be required to ¡°develop and publish 바카라사이트 process 바카라사이트y used to establish agreement with 바카라사이트ir staff on 바카라사이트ir ¡®research-active¡¯ status¡±, he writes.

Dr Sweeney told?온라인 바카라 that 바카라사이트 funding councils still intended that ¡°100 per cent of research-active staff will be submitted¡±.

¡°The only question is how you define research-active staff, and we propose doing that from a contractual basis,¡± Dr Sweeney said. ¡°That has received a good bit of a push-back, which I understand, so now we¡¯re...floating something else,¡± Dr Sweeney said.

Dr Sweeney added that, if 바카라사이트 consultation responses ¡°suggest a better way¡± of identifying research-active academics, 바카라사이트 funding councils were prepared to consider that also.

john.elmes@tesglobal.com