Review of Research Finance and Administration and Management of Research Office
25 Nov 2010
The University is to make major changes to the way it supports and organises Research Finance and Administration
The changes arise from a wide-ranging review of Research Finance and Administration which was sponsored by the Registrar and Secretary and the Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor and concluded last month.
This report found that, although the University satisfies, fully, all of its statutory and fiduciary obligations, the current support arrangements often fall short of meeting the needs of individual researchers, make it difficult to monitor performance, and risk underachievement in a key area of the University’s mission.
The Report acknowledges that these failings are not the fault of individuals but, rather, the structures and processes that evolved following the formation of the new University in 2004.
It makes eight headline recommendations, with the aim of improving, significantly, the quality of support for most PIs and research managers, whilst enhancing institutional assurance through greater consistency and standardisation of policies, processes and procedures.
You can read the full report online at:
The headline recommendations contained in the report have been agreed by the University’s Policy and Resources Committee and the senior leadership team and will be introduced over the coming months as part of a programme of improvements led by a special implementation team which will be chaired by Professor Chris Taylor, Associate Vice-President for Research.
In addition to the review of Research Finance and Administration, three other reviews regarding Graduate Education Administration, Research Contracts and Business Engagement are also under way. Once all the reviews have been concluded, which will be early next year, a decision on the longer-term management and leadership of the Research Office will be made.
Karen Shaw has stood down as Head of the Research Office in the PSS and the Registrar and Secretary has asked Graham Robinson, who will relinquish his current responsibilities as Head of Faculty Administration in EPS in December to oversee the work of the Research Office for the foreseeable future.