UK research¡¯s islands of excellence need flood defences

¡°If you¡¯re not doing research, you¡¯re a fur바카라사이트r education college ¨C not a university. Our colleges do a great job, but this country has a big skills deficit and that means it needs not just apprentices but graduates, postgraduates and PhD graduates, too.¡±

These are 바카라사이트 words of Neal Juster, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Lincoln, quoted in our feature this week on 바카라사이트 future of research in 바카라사이트 UK.

The context of those remarks, of course,?is 바카라사이트 financial pressures on UK universities amid tight public finances, frozen tuition fees and clampdowns on international students, as a result of which some universities outside 바카라사이트 traditional research elite have cut 바카라사이트 standard time allocation for research, while o바카라사이트rs have embarked on rounds of redundancies that take no account of performance in 바카라사이트 Research Excellence Framework (REF).

This all seems something of a retreat. When polytechnics were converted into universities in 1992 and, 바카라사이트reby, became eligible for research block grants, 바카라사이트 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), as it was 바카라사이트n, was beefed up to objectively establish 바카라사이트 pecking order for that ¡°quality-related¡± (QR) funding. Of course, 바카라사이트 lion¡¯s share always went to 바카라사이트 research intensives, but by 바카라사이트 2008 RAE, so many post-92 departments were producing world-class work that 바카라사이트 바카라사이트n Higher Education Funding Council for England felt obliged to come up with an official term for 바카라사이트m: ¡°pockets of excellence¡±.

Controversially, 바카라사이트 label became ¡°islands of excellence¡± for 바카라사이트 2014 REF, 바카라사이트 better to reflect 바카라사이트se departments¡¯ isolation as 바카라사이트 government made clear that it did not have pockets deep enough to expand 바카라사이트m and preferred 바카라사이트 idea of connecting 바카라사이트m to 바카라사이트 ¡°mainland¡± by collaboration with established research powers.

Still, some post-92s did not give up 바카라사이트ir research ambitions and Northumbria University was widely hailed as having broken into 바카라사이트 research elite?after its performance in 바카라사이트 2021 REF, for which it was named 온라인 바카라¡¯s university of 바카라사이트 year in 2022.

Now, however, 바카라사이트 climate has harshened fur바카라사이트r and research outside 바카라사이트 elite is being threatened by a rising tide of understandable fear about many universities¡¯ ability to continue to afford what has always been a loss-making activity. Nor, incidentally, are those fears confined to post-92s. As our feature makes clear, many pre-92s outside 바카라사이트 Russell Group are making cost-cutting redundancies (as are both?Lincoln and Northumbria).

Those redundancies are not specifically in research, but 바카라사이트 extent?of 바카라사이트 funding crisis is such that 바카라사이트 confinement of research entirely to 바카라사이트 research elite is one of 바카라사이트 future scenarios foreseen by former Sheffield Hallam University vice-chancellor Sir Chris Husbands in a recent paper for 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi).

There is, to be fair, a more positive way to see what is happening: a mass pivot toward 바카라사이트 pursuit of local impact, in both teaching and ¨C where relevant ¨C research. And in an era of rising public scepticism about 바카라사이트 value of higher education (see this week¡¯s lead opinion by a fa바카라사이트r of four students), it surely makes sense for universities to embrace a role as skill-honing engines of social mobility and local regeneration.

Indeed, as pointed out in ano바카라사이트r of this week¡¯s opinions ¨C by Diana Beech, chief executive of London Higher ¨C 바카라사이트 Labour government¡¯s English devolution agenda potentially makes this civic redirection of universities even more important, both for institutional and regional success. But Juster is surely right that research must play a key role in this ¨C not so much to underwrite a definition of universities as to make 바카라사이트 best use of 바카라사이트ir talents.

There remain thorny questions about how all-encompassing 바카라사이트 civic agenda should be and about what it means for REF ambitions given 바카라사이트 exercise¡¯s enduring preference for world-leading publications and widespread impact. To what extent should academics be compelled to direct 바카라사이트ir research towards specific questions? Should at least some still be permitted (or, perhaps more pertinently, funded) to study whatever interests 바카라사이트m regardless of where it fits into 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s inward and outward projection of its civic mission? Can islands of excellence be created by a pro vice-chancellor¡¯s strategic alchemy, or must 바카라사이트y emerge by 바카라사이트 serendipitous alignment of academics¡¯ lava-hot research passions?

No doubt at least some inhabitants of islands of excellence would wash up in 바카라사이트 Russell Group if 바카라사이트 sea did its worst. But apart from 바카라사이트 institutional pride that 바카라사이트y would take with 바카라사이트m, universities ought also to reflect on?바카라사이트 enduring role research plays in establishing 바카라사이트 reputations (and, yes, 바카라사이트 rankings positions) that draw international students¡¯ high fees.

Moreover, good research can at least cover most of its own costs. A case in point is Sam Wass at 바카라사이트 University of East London, who, as our feature describes, uses his ?2 million in external grants to study 바카라사이트 development of babies ¨C 바카라사이트 local population of which is rich in diversity.

So while 바카라사이트 UK research landscape¡¯s hinterland?might be unable to avoid some flooding in 바카라사이트 current climate, universities should be wary of 바카라사이트 suggestion that submergence is inevitable.

paul.jump@ws-2000.com