RCUK Statement of Expertise finds supporters and critics

Following the announcement of the RCUK Statement of Expertise many have come forward, both in criticism and defence of its proposals. The Guardian quotes Philip Esler (chief executive of the Arts and Humanities Research Council) as saying that the RCUK is “moving from a narrowly defined grant condition relating to ‘commercialisation’ to a much more wide-ranging and universal expectation of ‘impact’”. However, Terence Kealey, vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham, argues that the government should focus on fundamental research. As quoted in Research Fortnight, “The research councils spend £3 billion annually of British taxpayers’ money. The empirical evidence for privately-funded research having much more positive economic benefits than government-funded research is strong. Until RCUK includes the ‘Expectation’ of showing that it is spending its money better than the taxpayer, its statement is but the PR of a vested interest.”

Read Philip Esler’s statement in full

Increased Competition For Grants

THES reports that research councils are showing large increases in the numbers of applications for grants, while the amount of awards available increases in much smaller amounts. Over the six research councils a 13% rise in the number of applications in the year 2007-08 can be seen. The chance of converting an application into a grant through the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council dropped from 30% to 29%.

The Medical Research Council was the exception, where the success rate rose from 24% in 2006-07 to 27% in 2007-08.

Read the THES article in full

RCUK Statement of Expectation

Research Councils UK (RCUK) have published two new documents, one which outlines RCUK's Mission for Social and Economic Impact and an accompanying Statement of Expertise. It covers the activities and disciplines of all seven Research Councils.

'Speaking on behalf of Research Councils UK, Professor Philip Esler said "Our commitment to excellent research that extends the boundaries of human knowledge remains as strong as ever. These documents signal a progression in the Research Councils' policy on knowledge transfer, begun in 2006 with the publication of the Warry Report, which recognises that publicly funded research should benefit us culturally, socially and financially. The publication of our Mission and Statement of Expectation represents a significant milestone that will be reflected in the Research Councils' peer review processes and in their grant terms and conditions."'

Read the documentation on the RCUK website