Professor Ros Foskett Deputy Vice Chancellor History of Research Assessment Undertaken periodically on behalf of the Funding Councils Determines the QR Qualityrated funding for each HEI Previous exercises in 1986 1989 1992 1996 2001 2008 ID: 445971
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Slide1
Research Excellence Framework 2014: A briefing for Staff
Professor
Ros
Foskett
Deputy Vice ChancellorSlide2
History of Research Assessment
Undertaken periodically on behalf of the Funding Councils
Determines the QR (Quality-rated) funding for each HEI
Previous exercises in 1986, 1989, 1992, 1996, 2001, 2008
Set up under Thatcher during tight budgetary restrictions.
Originally called the Research Selectivity Exercise, the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) and now the Research Excellence Framework (REF)
Submission for REF 2014 will cover the period January 1
st
2008 – December 31
st
2013
.Slide3
What is it?
Process of expert review by academic peers of an institution’s research
Assessment by four Main Panels covering the spread of academic disciplines.
Panel A: Medicine, Health and Biological Sciences
Panel B: Physical Sciences, Mathematics, Computing, Engineering
Panel C: Social Sciences
Panel D: Arts and HumanitiesSlide4
How is the REF used?
By Government
To
inform research funding allocations by the four UK HE
funding bodies (approximately
£2 billion per year)
Provide
accountability for public funding of research and
demonstrate
its benefits
By Universities
To demonstrate that funding and reputation are contestable
To help frame their strategic direction
External environment
To
provide benchmarks and reputational yardsticks
To provide comprehensible ratings of research excellence in all disciplines in HEIs across the UKSlide5
Key changes since the 2008 RAE
Inclusion of assessment of
impact
Fewer Units of Assessment
(
UoAs
)/panels
, operating more consistently
Strengthened
equality and diversity
measures
Revised
eligibility criteria
for staff
Addition
of (limited) use of
citation data
in some
UoAs
Removal
of ‘esteem’
as a distinct element
Revised
approach to ‘environment’
and data collection
Increased
‘user’
input
;
and an integrated role for additional assessors
Publication
of overall
quality profiles in 1% stepsSlide6
TimetableSlide7
The assessment framework
65%
20%
15%Slide8
Assessment
C
riteria
for
assessing:
quality
of outputs
originality
,
significance
and
rigour
i
mpacts
reach and significance
Environment
vitality and sustainabilitySlide9
Assessment
Outputs
Impact
Environment
4*
World-leading
Outstanding
impacts
Conducive to producing research of world-leading quality
3*
Internationally excellent
Very considerable impacts
Conducive to research of internationally excellent quality
2*
Internationally recognised
Considerable impacts
Conducive to research of internationally recognised quality
1*
Nationally recognised
Recognised but modest impacts
Conducive to research of nationally recognised quality
U/C
Falls below quality of ‘nationally recognised’ or does not meet the definition of ‘research’
Impact of little or no reach
and significance or ineligible according to the definition
Not conducive to producing research of national qualitySlide10
Objectives for UW REF2014
To demonstrate an increase in research activity in terms of breadth and depth for reputational enhancement
To maximise the submission as far as possible in terms of QR funding received (which will only be for 3* and 4* research in REF)
To submit a greater number of members staff and a higher proportion of the academic
staff than in RAE 2008
To
make a submission to an increased number of Units of Assessment than in RAE 2008Slide11
UW REF2014
We will aim to:
B
e as inclusive as possible yet aspire to maximise reputation and income
Maximise the fundable research 3* and 4* outputs and impact case studies
Include 1* and 2* research for reputational reasons
Exclude anything which might attract an Unclassified scoreSlide12
RAE 2008 Results
UoA
Staff FTE returned
% of research activity in the submission judged to meet the standard for:
4*
3*
2*
1*
U/C
Allied Health Professions and Studies
8.2
0
5.0
40.0
45.0
10.0
English Language and
Literature
5.4
5.0
20.0
35.0
35.0
5.0
Geography and Environmental Studies
5.0
0
10.0
45.0
35.0
10.0
History
4.5
0
0
45.050.05.0Slide13
Units of Assessment for REF2014
Main Panel
Potential
Units of Assessment
Current
REF Lead
A
3. Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy
Professor Dominic Upton
A
4. Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience
Professor Dominic Upton
A
5.
Biological Sciences
Professor John Newbury
B
11. Computer Science and Informatics
Professor Howard Cox
C
17. Geography, Environmental Studies and Archaeology
Professor Nick Evans
C
19. Business and Management Studies
Professor Howard Cox
C
25. Education
Dr Richard Woolley
C
26. Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism
Professor Derek Peters
D
29. English Language and Literature
Professor Antonia Payne
D
30. History
Professor Antonia PayneD34. Art and Design: History, Practice and TheoryProfessor Antonia PayneD
35. Music, Drama, Dance and Performing Arts
Professor Antonia PayneSlide14
UW Preparation
Submission being led by Deputy Vice Chancellor and Director of Research Development (Dr John-Paul Wilson)
REF Working Group established 2011 (Institutes, Personnel, ASU)
Mock exercise has been undertaken on outputs to identify potential Units of Assessment
Code of Practice for Submission of Staff (for 31
st
July 2012)
Impact Case Study workshops (June/July 2012)
Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) undertaken at each stage
Reports to Vice Chancellor’s Advisory Group, Research and Knowledge Transfer Committee, Academic BoardSlide15
NOW
All outputs should have been put on the WRAP
Collect outputs and update the record of outputs
New staff will be asked whether they intend to submit
Survey of staff circumstances
Champions for each
UoA
to be finalised
Preparation of Impact Case Studies
Drafting of Research Environment templates
Preparation for Survey of Submission Intentions (5
th
December)
REF Submission PilotSlide16
Outputs
Submitted staff will need to have produced 4 outputs (publications and other assessable items) since January 2008 unless they have special individual circumstances
Judgements need to be made about the likely quality of these outputs and whether they adhere to the definition of research in the REF
Some external advice is being sought
Co-authorship is allowed
Citation data will be used to assess ‘at the margins’ in some
UoAs
Double weighting of items can be argued
Slide17
What is an ‘output’?
Product of research “process of investigation leading to new insights, effectively shared” (see
handout
)
First brought into public domain during period 01/01/08 – 31/12/13
By a member of staff (i.e. not a research student)
Can include:
printed academic work;
new materials, devices, images, artefacts, products and buildings;
c
onfidential or technical reports;
i
ntellectual property including patents and other forms;
p
erformances, exhibits or events;
w
ork published in non-print media;
r
eviews, textbooks or edited works
(if they embody research) Slide18
Impact
‘an effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia’
Impact template (20% weighting) sets out the general approach to supporting impact from research
Impact
c
ase studies (80% weighting) includes examples of impacts with evidence of impacts already achieved
Impact relates to the period of the REF (2008-2013) and the underpinning research (of at least 2* quality) must have been undertaken since 1993
1 Case study per 10 staff
ftes
+1 extra per
UoA
Slide19
Environment
Environment data will include:
Research doctoral degrees awarded
Research income
Research income in kind
Qualitative information on the environment in the University and the Unit of Assessment. The narrative will include:
Overview of research environment
Research strategy
People (staffing strategy, staff development, research students)
Income, infrastructure and facilities
Collaboration and contribution to the discipline
Slide20
Code of Practice
Submitted in July 2012 (available on the Research Portal)
Underpinned by principles of fairness and transparency
REF Equality and Diversity Panel will examine all
CoPs
CoP
will be published alongside our submission at end of REF
CoP
covers: purpose; principles; legal framework; roles & responsibilities; selection; disclosure of individual circumstances; feedback and appeals
Clearly defined circumstances (ECR; PT working; maternity, paternity or adoption leave; secondments outside the HEI sector)
Complex circumstances (disability; ill-health or injury; mental health conditions; constraints related to pregnancy or maternity; childcare or caring responsibilities; gender reassignment; Other circumstances relating to the above)Slide21
Submission System
Pilot submission system open now until November 2012
Full submission system will open from 1
st
January 2013 until 29
th
November 2013.
JPW and RF have login permissions – inputting can be extended to others in the institution (maybe academic or administrative staff)
Full manual is available from the
REF website:
http://www.ref.ac.uk
/
Research portal will be used to store useful information (including
this
presentation and the Code of Practice) under ‘Research Excellence Framework’
http
://www.worcester.ac.uk/researchportal
/
Slide22
Audit and Results
Audit and verification
All processes will be audited
All institutions will be audited against at least one element
Results:
An overall quality profile (in 1% steps) will be published for each
UoA
against
each starred level
Institution will also get a commentary for each
UoA
Results will be published December 2014
Publication of submissions, panel overview reports and sub-profiles in Spring 2015
Slide23
Any questions?