Event Details

Date: Thursday 8^th July 2021

Time: 10am – 11:30am, 2pm – 3:30pm

Closing date for Expressions of Interest: 11am on 25^th June 2021

Research England is a council within UK Research and Innovation. We oversee UK Research and Innovation’s England-only functions in relation to university research and knowledge exchange. This includes providing grant funding to English universities for research and knowledge exchange activities; developing and implementing the Research Excellence Framework in partnership with the UK Higher Education funding bodies; overseeing the sustainability of the Higher Education research base in England; managing the £900 million UK Research Partnership Investment Fund; and administering the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF).

This Research England study tour will provide ARMA members with an opportunity to find out more about what Research England does to support in UK universities. It will provide an overview of current funding and policy development activities, more detailed updates on current projects and also presents an opportunity for research managers to feed in on a number of active policy areas. There will be plenty of opportunities for discussion and to ask questions.

An overview of the programme can be seen below:

Morning session: 10am – 11:30am: Introduction to Research England 

The morning session will be kicked off by David Sweeney, Executive Chair of Research England who will provide an overview to Research England and our unique role in the HE sector. Introductions to our research and knowledge exchange funding and policy work led by funding and policy leads will follow along with an overview of our Insight and Engagement function. The morning will finish with a panel Q&A with the speakers with further opportunities to ask questions.

Recommended audience: Those who are new to research management and their managers/supervisors, but anyone with an interest in Research England’s funding and policy activity.

Afternoon: 2pm – 3:30pm; RE Consultation opportunity with ARMA members 

After an extended lunch break, the afternoon session enables a more detailed look at some key projects, policy work and funding calls, as well as some round table discussions on specific areas on interest.

 2:00 – 2:45pm: Detailed case studies of recent projects and key initiatives:

• What makes a good Research England Development Fund project? Pete Seddon, Head of RED Fund.
• Future Research Assessment Programme– Duncan Shermer, Head of Research Assessment Policy
• Trusted Research Agenda – Kelly Pullin, Head of Strategic Coordination

2:45pm – 3:25pm: Roundtable discussion in break out rooms

Roundtable discussion options include:

• KEF: Where now, where next – The first iteration of the Knowledge Exchange Framework was published in March and aims to present a range of information on university knowledge exchange performance. This session will be an opportunity to understand more about the KEF and Research England’s plans for the review, and asks questions of the KEF team
• Responsible Research Assessment – Funders play a crucial role in ensuring that research and researchers are assessed in a fair and transparent manner. In this session, we will outline RE’s work with the Global Research Council on promoting responsible research assessment (RRA) and will consider what role research managers and administrators can play to support RRA.
• Reducing Bureaucracy Review: The Review team would like to update ARMA members on what they have heard in their evidence gathering about unnecessary bureaucracy in the research system. They are keen to test these points with members and discuss where the gaps might be, and what opportunities and risks the team should consider in developing the Review’s recommendations.
• Place/Levelling Up/knowledge exchange – noting that in emerging policy on place-based research and innovation, effective collaboration between universities and other partners is recognised as integral, this session will allow delegates to find out more about Research England’s activities in this area, and share learning.
• Governance of Good Research Conduct: UKRI are revising and updating our main research integrity policy and would welcome the chance to discuss the proposed changes and hear feedback from ARMA members. The policy covers expectations around good research practice and how organisations should handle research misconduct, and the revised policy will have a greater focus on building a supportive environment for high integrity research.
• Resume for Researchers: In September 2020 UKRI committed to placing multiple, varied approaches to providing CV and track record information with a single format based on the Royal Society’s résumé for researchers and early pilots are already underway. This commitment will affect applicants, reviewers and UKRI staff, and also research professionals who support the preparation of applications. We’d welcome the chance to explore with ARMA members their thoughts on the opportunities and challenges of introducing this format and the tools and support different stakeholders will need for its effective use.
• Talent and Skills: Speak with UKRI’s Talent Strategy and Talent and Skills team to learn more about their ongoing and emerging priorities. This session will look at how UKRI can work with research managers in response to the government’s forthcoming People and Culture Strategy. We will also discuss UKRI’s action plan for the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers

3:25pm – 3:30pm: Reflections and close

Recommended audience: We recommend that you attend the morning session in preparation for the afternoon, but all ARMA members and levels are welcome, particularly those with an interest in feeding in and contributing to discussions that will shape future policy.

Please sign up to waitlist to submit an expression of interest to attend.