{"id":30018,"date":"2024-09-25T16:17:35","date_gmt":"2024-09-25T15:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/research-blog\/?post_type=tribe_events&p=30018"},"modified":"2024-09-25T16:19:29","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T15:19:29","slug":"start-of-year-message-from-pvc-research-and-innovation-professor-parveen-yaqoob","status":"publish","type":"tribe_events","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/research-blog\/event\/start-of-year-message-from-pvc-research-and-innovation-professor-parveen-yaqoob\/","title":{"rendered":"Start of Year Message from PVC (Research and Innovation) Professor Parveen Yaqoob"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Dear colleagues,<\/p>\n

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 \u00a35bn, which is in addition to the deficit of \u00a31.7bn for teaching, and which contributes significantly to institutional financial shortfalls. Over the last few months I\u2019ve 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, we\u2019ve reached a milestone on a number of projects and initiatives that you will be hearing about over the next few months, including:<\/p>\n