University Alliance
Driving forward excellence in research:
institutional strategies and approaches
Professor Janet Beer, Vice-Chancellor,
Oxford Brookes University
Alliance universities: strengths &
focus within diverse sector
•
4* and 3* departments with major impact and links with
industry
•
Research strengths in innovation, typically in areas of
importance to the new economy
•
Near-market solutions & large proportion of highly
rated STEM departments
•
Knowledge exchange with business built on genuine
partnership and collaboration
•
Focussed and strategic in how we invest resource in
research strengths
Research excellence:
what we know
1. Funding research on basis of quality achieves
concentration of funding where quality exists
2. Funding research based on quality has driven up
quality of UK research since introduction of RAE
3. No direct correlation between volume and
excellence outside some of the physical sciences
Research excellence:
what we know
4. Peaks of world-leading research excellence
determine UK’s position as world leader
5. Association between research excellence and
industrial innovation & application
6. Academics and industry know subject specialists
within their area – basis of collaboration
Alliance publication:
evidence based approach
Research excellence as a
strategic driver
•
Driving academic endeavour and collaboration
•
Driving institutional strategy
•
Driving government policy
•
Driving a diverse sector built on strengths
Driving academic endeavour
and collaboration
•
Dr Rajat Gupta
•
Low Carbon Building
Group
•
Department of Architecture
•
Oxford Brookes University
Driving academic endeavour
and collaboration
•
Principal investigator on £1.14m ERSC funded project
evaluating impact of low carbon communities (EVALOC)
•
Interdisciplinary team brings together social science and
building science based disciplines
•
•
•
•
Co-investigator, Dr Nick Eyre, Environmental Change Institute,
University of Oxford
Researchers from both universities
Selected international experts from USA, Sweden, Austria and
Germany
Consultants from Capacity Global and Dotted Eyes
Driving institutional strategy
Oxford Brookes University: focus on strengths
• Clear priorities and goals - 2 principles:
• research excellence is the key to effective exploitation
• success breeds success
• Leadership from the top and consistent strategic
messages:
• clear distinction between ‘scholarship’ and ‘research’
• ‘virtuous circle’ of research, knowledge exchange and teaching
• central research fund steers research direction
• Results
• RAE 2008: 75% + research international, 35% world leading
• Increased commercialisation, KTPs, business enterprise
projects, business partnerships & consultancies
… areas of research strength
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sustainable development (Planning and Architecture)
Sustainable transport (Engineering)
Computing
Business
Health and Nutrition
Global Studies
Law
History
English
Publishing and the Creative Industries
Psychology
Driving research funding policy
1. If you selectively fund research on the basis of quality you
will achieve concentration of research funding where quality
exists
2. This approach has been proven to maximise return from
public funding - even more important when funding is limited
3. Ensures critical public investment to 4* & 3* departments in
areas of strategic importance - this is not duplication
Driving broader policy
• Technology and innovation centres
• Collaboration
• HEIF
• KTPs
• Postgraduate and doctoral training centres
Driving a diverse sector built on
excellence
•
Supporting peaks of world-leading excellence across
sector ensures highest quality research is funded
•
Diverse research base important for encouraging a
dynamic sector and progress in research
•
Role of universities that specialise in near-market
research and partnership with business - where
innovation often emerges
•
A position that can, and should, unite the sector