Dear colleagues,
As we begin another new academic year, there is a lot that feels different. The positive tone and language about higher education coming from the new government is welcome, even though the challenges we face are pressing. Financial sustainability is the number one topic of conversation in almost every university in the country, but we have yet to see whether there are plans to address the underfunding of research, calculated as a deficit of £5bn, which is in addition to the deficit of £1.7bn for teaching, and which contributes significantly to institutional financial shortfalls. Over the last few months I’ve been asked to contribute to a number of discussions about how universities should be making the case for their vital contribution to research to ensure that it remains high on the national agenda. In a Universities UK event in July I set out how we should be engaging public and political stakeholders to demonstrate our critical contribution to health research and at the annual Universities UK conference, held here in Reading this month, I was asked to make the case for longer-term research funding cycles. Both events highlighted the fact that we can’t take for granted that our stakeholders understand the importance of a stable and properly funded research base, so we need to make sure that we communicate the real-world relevance of the research we do at Reading at every opportunity. This is even more important in the current financial environment, where we must remain resolute in holding our ground as a research-intensive university.
Looking ahead, we’ve reached a milestone on a number of projects and initiatives that you will be hearing about over the next few months, including:
- Development of a new research strategy; the current strategy was published in 2019, when Dominik and I had just been appointed to our post. We’ve achieved a lot since then and the strategy doesn’t reflect how far we’ve come in developing strategic partnerships, understanding the importance of a positive research culture and the huge strides we’ve made on sustainability. I will be putting out a call for individuals to take part in focus groups as part of the consultation process for the new strategy, as well as consulting with key stakeholders, such as RDLs, IDRC Directors and HoS.
- REF planning; the next months will see UoA leads completing SWOT analyses of each element of the REF submission to help shape our preparation.
- Implementation of the Agrifood Futures strategy; the final report of the scoping exercise was presented to Council in July and the project now moves to implementation. Now that the strategy is live (e mail agrifoodscoping@reading.ac.uk for a copy), we need to use it actively; this is especially important for those disciplines most closely connected with agrifood, but applies to all disciplines. Please use the above e mail address if you’d like to discuss the strategy.
- And finally, there are three important reviews to complete over the next year: (i) a deep-dive review of our strategic partnership with the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation to understand what has worked well (or not) and whether there are opportunities that we haven’t yet considered; (ii) a review of the University’s infrastructure and how we manage it, with the aim of better long-term planning, and (iii) a review of the Interdisciplinary Research Centres as they reach the end of their 5-year term, which will also include a broad examination of how we approach interdisciplinary research at Reading.
As ever, do get in touch if there is anything you would like to discuss and keep in regular contact with your RDL and Associate PVC (APVC) Research for the latest updates. And if you’re wondering what on earth an APVC Research is, you’ve probably missed the announcement that there has been a change of name from Research Dean to APVC Research (with the equivalent change for T&L Deans). This is entirely due to sector precedence and lack of understanding of the Dean role as it was applied at Reading- the job is exactly the same, it’s just more of a mouthful to say. And on the topic of APVCs, I will soon be announcing the new APVC for the Environment theme (replacing Rowan Sutton, who now heads the Met Office Hadley Centre).
Wishing you a productive term,
Parveen
Professor Parveen Yaqoob
Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation