Twenty per cent contracts rise in run-up to REF | Paul Jump | Times Higher Education | 26 September 2013
THE investigation reveals 63 per cent increase in 0.2 deals since October 2011
REF non-submission may have consequences, Leicester warns | Paul Jump | 8 August 2013
University denies reneging on promise not to penalise staff over issue. Fears that academics who are not submitted to the research excellence framework will be penalised by their institutions have been heightened by an alleged U-turn at the University of Leicester.
Research impact not a priority, says Kim Carr | Julie Hare | The Australian Higher Education | 10 July, 2013
UNIVERSITIES are at the centre of the innovation system but Higher Education Minister Kim Carr is a long way from being convinced measuring the impact of their research is a worthwhile endeavour. “I am not in the business of asking universities to write long essays or fill in more forms. We are in the business of assessing research quality against a rigorous set of verifiable standards,” Senator Carr said, referring to the proposal to use case studies to measure research impact.
Unis use ERA to hide truth, says union | Andrew Trounson | The Australian Higher Education | 24 April, 2013
THE academic union has put forward new evidence of universities seeking to “game” the Excellence in Research for Australia exercise and has called for a review of the quality audit.The report from the National Tertiary Education Union, released yesterday, also includes widespread concerns that universities are using journal rankings to measure the performance of staff despite the rankings having been dropped by the ERA because of concerns they were being misused.
‘Publish or perish’ culture distorting research results | John Morgan | Times Higher Education | 22 April 2010
Study finds link between academic productivity and positive outcomes. A “publish or perish” culture in which scientific careers rely on the volume of citations is distorting the results of research, a new study suggests.
Research watchdog lacks bite | Guy Healy | The Australian Higher Education | 14 April , 2010
THE Rudd government’s new research watchdog would not prevent paralysing controversies such as the Bruce Hall affair, researcher David Vaux has warned. As evidence emerged yesterday that the new system would conflict with the industrial obligations of universities, Professor Vaux, a National Health and Medical Research Council fellow, said it was also shaping up as a toothless tiger. “It’s a good step in right direction, but it’s a very tiny step,” Professor Vaux said. “The panel is so hamstrung it can’t investigate the merits of the case, it can only look at process.
V-c: focus research cash or ‘mediocrity’ awaits | Zoë Corbyn | Times Higher Education | 22 October 2009
Russell Group head says 25-30 institutions should receive 90 per cent of funding. The UK must abandon the idea that excellent research should be funded wherever it is found and concentrate resources on just 25 to 30 universities, the chair of the Russell Group of large research-intensive institutions has argued.
Higher Education in the Headlines 