11 November 2010

Clinical medicine research at Dundee heralded in pilot study

The wide-reaching impact of clinical medicine research at the University of Dundee has been heralded in a pilot study to trial a new system of allocating research funding.

The current system of measuring research quality is due to be replaced by the Research Excellence Framework (REF) in 2014. Impact, measured as the benefit of research to the economy and society, is at the heart of the REF system.

A report to the four UKhigher education funding bodies published today sets out the findings of expert panels that have been piloting proposals for assessing the positive impact of research. Dundee was one of 29 institutions who took part in the pilot, operated by the Higher Education Funding Council or England (HEFCE), who will be responsible for the implementation of the REF across the UK.

Case studies and selected supporting material will be assessed by expert panels with a membership drawn from practising researchers and research users, and universities and higher education colleges will need to demonstrate the benefits of their research in order to be awarded the highest ratings, something Dundee achieved in the pilot.

'We were very happy to have taken part in the trial, and delighted by the fact the impact of our research achieved excellent ratings,' said Professor Michael Coughtrie, Director of the Division of Medical Sciences at the College of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing.

'Our involvement was very beneficial for the University as we look to the future and the changes to the allocation of research funding that will be brought about when the REF is introduced.

'It also confirmed that the world-class medical research carried out here has clear and demonstrable impact across a range of social, economic and health measurements.'

HEFCE say that the exercise proved the REF can now assess, describe and reward the academic research which has the biggest impact. The inclusion of impact in the REF is a major new element in research assessment, which is used to determine funding allocations, provide benchmarking of the quality of UK research, and demonstrate the value of investment in research.

Although impact is now a major consideration in research assessment around the globe, the UK has been at the forefront in developing a workable method. Universities will need to demonstrate how their research, both curiosity-driven and applied, has delivered important benefits beyond the academic world.

The HEFCE report concludes that this approach is workable, and identifies a number of areas where improvements to the model used in the pilot can be made. The four UK funding bodies will continue to work together, and with the academic community and other partners, during the coming months to produce a fully developed approach, suitable for use across all disciplines.

David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science, welcomed the publication of the report, saying, 'It will help HEFCE to develop the Research Excellence Framework, examining how recognition of the highest levels of research excellence can be combined with encouraging wider impact on society and the economy and showing how improvements can be made. I am particularly grateful to the academics who participated in the pilot study.'

David Sweeney, HEFCE Director for Research and Innovation, added, 'We are delighted with the outcome of this exercise, which shows we can assess the contribution that research makes to society.

'We believe in the powerful and beneficial impact that research has on society and economic development, but have not previously had the tools to demonstrate this. I am grateful to those who gave their time to the pilot exercise.'

Notes to editors:

To trial how the beneficial impact of research can be assessed, a pilot exercise was undertaken by the REF team on behalf of the four UK higher education funding bodies. It involved 29 higher education institutions from across the UK, which submitted material for assessment in a variety of subjects.

The REF is the new system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. It replaces the Research Assessment Exercise(RAE) and will be completed in 2014 to allow the results to inform funding allocations from 2015-16. The REF will be undertaken by the four UK higher education funding bodies. The exercise will be managed by the REF team based at HEFCE and overseen by the REF Steering Group, consisting of representatives of the four funding bodies.

The RAE outcomes from 2008 are currently used to allocate quality-related research funding, amounting to around £2 billion per year to the higher education research community across the four UK countries.

The University of Dundee’s Schoolof Medicine was founded in 1967, and has developed into one of the foremost institutions for medical education and biomedical research in the United Kingdom.

A proud record in biomedical research is bolstered by particular strengths in relation to studies of cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, neurosciences and population health sciences. Internationally recognised expertise in the use of health informatics and in e-health adds value to all these research themes.

The Medical School offers an exceptional and supportive environment for medical education and research – a recent poll in the Scientist magazine identified Dundee as the best place to work in academia in Europe and the third most highly placed institution, globally outside the USA.

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Grant Hill
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University of Dundee
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