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HOW CONCENTRATED IS THE UK RESEARCH BASE?

HOW CONCENTRATED IS THE UK RESEARCH BASE?. THE DISTRIBUTION OF EXCELLENCE AND DIVERSITY JONATHAN ADAMS 14 OCTOBER 2009. Previously among studies by Evidence. HEFCs/UUK – Maintaining Research Excellence Recognition of a peak supported by a research platform

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HOW CONCENTRATED IS THE UK RESEARCH BASE?

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  1. HOW CONCENTRATED IS THE UK RESEARCH BASE? THE DISTRIBUTION OF EXCELLENCE AND DIVERSITY JONATHAN ADAMS 14 OCTOBER 2009

  2. Previously among studies by Evidence • HEFCs/UUK – Maintaining Research Excellence • Recognition of a peak supported by a research platform • Evolution of 3 to 4 to 5 grade units • HEFCE – Role of QR funding • Strategic significance of the block grant • Universities UK – Excellence and Diversity • Regional network of research competence • Importance of an evidence base for research policy • OST/DIUS/BIS • Diversity as a critical element in research policy

  3. RAE2008 – a novel outcome with dispersed rewards • Gareth Roberts’ proposals on research profiling • Problem of the ‘cliff edge’ • Recognising dynamic excellence in the research base • Unexpected differences between panels • The problem of interpreting methodology and standards • The absence of a commonly understood standard? • The dispersed map of reward-able research • Decisions about funding allocations • 2* = 1 (x 3 to) 3* = 3 (x 2.33 to) 4* = 7 • Greater relative rewards for modest gains than for very expensive world-class excellence (cf 2001)

  4. How can we explore the spread of excellence? • We have • Panel outcomes from RAE2008 – but opinions differ, so ... • Bibliometric data on a consistent basis from 1981 • We split the HE sector into crude groups • All HEIs • Russell Group • 1994 Group • Universities with a shorter history of research investment • And we created an elite ‘golden triangle’ band • Oxford (C12th), Cambridge (1209), UCL (1836), Imperial (C19th) , LSE (1895)

  5. Excellence is linked to selectivity

  6. And excellence is concentrated

  7. The problem with simplistic indicators • They don’t really express the complexity of research performance • Average impact (e.g. ‘crown indicator’) can be very misleading • Research Council studies reveal error of interpretation • Skewed data, median much smaller than average • Lots of papers are not cited • The interesting bit is about how much is really, really cited lots • So we we prefer Impact Profiles®

  8. UK background and ‘golden triangle’ This is the small but critical excess of really highly cited research output

  9. Even smaller differences separate the UK and USA research profiles

  10. Excellence extends to other institutions

  11. But the differences become very fine

  12. And if we distil further, other complexity is revealed

  13. Older institutions have no monopoly on quality, but the peak is distinctive For the 1994 Group, there are relatively fewer low-cited papers and relatively more high-cited papers than for many in the Russell Group

  14. What does this imply? There is a very concentrated peak of exceptional excellence UK international competitiveness is associated with selectivity that increased concentration There is a regional network of exceptional quality, much in dynamic institutions created in the 1960s The balance that supports diversity & dynamism and the concentrated support of international excellence is very fine Model first, meddle second

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