Policy drivers in Australian higher education researchNSCF September 7, 2015Dr Tim CahillResearch Strategies Australiawww.researchstrategies.com.au

Introduction of the Research Quantum – Composite Research Index

Click icon to add picture

Linda Butler, “Explaining Australia’s increased share of ISI publications—the effects of a funding formula based on publication counts”. Research Policy 32 (2003) 143–155.

Introduction of the Research Quantum – Composite Research Index

Click icon to add picture

Linda Butler, “Explaining Australia’s increased share of ISI publications—the effects of a funding formula based on publication counts”. Research Policy 32 (2003) 143–155.

• Australia’s share of publications in the Science Citation Index (SCI) increased 25% 1988-1997

• Share of citations increased 33%

• Relative Citation Impact (RCI) remained steady

• In other words, while the number of publications and number of citations increased, the citation rate did not

Introduction of the Research Quantum – Composite Research Index

Click icon to add picture

Linda Butler, “Explaining Australia’s increased share of ISI publications—the effects of a funding formula based on publication counts”. Research Policy 32 (2003) 143–155.

Introduction of the Research Quantum – Composite Research Index

Click icon to add picture

Linda Butler, “Explaining Australia’s increased share of ISI publications—the effects of a funding formula based on publication counts”. Research Policy 32 (2003) 143–155.

• The Actual/Expected citation rate remained more or less around 1.0 throughout the period

• The Relative Journal Impact decreased

• “Even though […] Australia’s publications were attracting at or above the expected citation rate for its journals, Australia’s relative citation performance continued to slide because the journals which carried its articles were of lower impact”

THE IMPORTANCE OF ERA IN INFLUENCING RESEARCH QUALITY

Acil Allen Consulting “Benefits Realisation Review of Excellence in Research for Australia.” 2013

Very important

Important

Somewhat important

Minor importance

Not important

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Per cent

THE IMPORTANCE OF ERA IN INFLUENCING RESEARCH QUALITY

Acil Allen Consulting “Benefits Realisation Review of Excellence in Research for Australia.” 2013

“ERA has resulted in researchers focusing on quality in contrast to the longstanding quantity driver that metrics based funding had encouraged.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF ERA IN INFLUENCING RESEARCH QUALITY

Acil Allen Consulting “Benefits Realisation Review of Excellence in Research for Australia.” 2013

“Academic staff are now more selective about journals in which they publish - targeting specific, higher quality journals.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF ERA IN INFLUENCING RESEARCH QUALITY

Acil Allen Consulting “Benefits Realisation Review of Excellence in Research for Australia.” 2013

“ERA has enhanced the recognition of quality outputs as opposed to quantity.”

What are the drivers?

What’s next…?• In 2010 HERD, ‘Applied

Research’ overtook ‘Pure Basic’ and ‘Strategic Basic’ research for the first time (ABS)

2013 RBG income profile• ‘Applied income’

sources are larger than ‘basic income’ sources:

• Category 1 – ACGR income

• Category 2 – Other public sector income

• Category 3 – Industry income

• Category 4 – CRC income

(https://education.gov.au/data-used-research-block-grant-rbg-funding-formulae)

Funding inputs• The policy settings in

Australian universities are still living in the paradigm of Category 1 peer reviewed grants even though the actual research paradigm has shifted.

(Chart extracted from ‘Review of Research Policy and Funding Arrangements for Higher Education Issues Paper’ https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/issues_paper_-_review_of_funding_policy.pdf)

Contribution of data types to RIBG, SRE and JRE• ‘Applied income’

accounts for 53% of income, but only drives 27% of research funding (not including training)

• ‘Category 1’ income accounts for 47% of income and drives 55% of research funding (not including training)

• Dual funding system, so grants are also counted twice

Category 1; $432,700,000 Cat-

egory 2-4;

$214,320,000

Pub-lica-

tions;

$35,720,00

0

Stu-dent load; $107,160,000

Some options for addressing the issue

Click icon to add pictureGovernment funded HERD, 2011 (OECD)

DN

K

ISR

NZ

L

AU

T

DE

U

NLD

CH

E

NO

R

CZ

E

CA

N

PO

L

AU

S

IRL

BE

L

KO

R

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Government funded, institution-based Government funded, project-based

Some options for addressing the issue

Click icon to add picture

KO

RJP

NA

UT

CH

ND

NK

SW

EC

AN

IRL

FR

AD

EU

FIN

LU

XSV

NN

LD

HU

NR

US

NO

RB

EL

CZE

TU

RC

HE

MEX

ISL

ITA

ESP

EST

GB

RN

ZL

ZA

FA

US

CH

LP

RT

PO

LSV

K

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Business enterprise GovernmentHigher education Private non-profit

Rese

arc

hers

by s

ect

or

(per

cen

t)

Researchers employed by sector, 2011 (OECD)

Some options for addressing the issue

Click icon to add pictureDirect Government funding of business R&D, 2011 (OECD)

RUSSV

NHU

NZA

FPOL

AUTNO

RGBR

FRA

NLD EST

KORIT

AIS

RCHN

CANFI

NAUS

ISL

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

2011 2001

Dir

ect

Gov't

fundin

g o

f busin

ess R

&D

(per

cent)

Some options for addressing the issue

Click icon to add pictureDirect Government funding of business R&D vs tax incentives, 2011 (OECD)

RU

SSV

NU

SA

KO

RIS

RC

ZE

SW

EESP

FR

AH

UN

EST

BR

AA

UT

DEU

GB

RB

EL

FIN

NO

RN

ZL

CH

ND

NK

IRL

LU

XIT

AZA

FN

LD

CA

NP

OL

CH

ESV

KTU

RJP

NP

RT

CH

LA

US

MEX

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20

0.25

0.30

0.35

0.40

0.45

Direct government funding of BERDIndirect government support through R&D tax incentives

Dir

ect

fu

nd

ing

of

bu

sin

ess

R&

D t

ax i

nce

nti

ves

(as

per

cen

t o

f G

DP

)

The challenge “What we still need is a way of changing the institutions in a democratic direction – a long-term

vision for public universities, and a practical agenda for the near future. I think the discussion

has to deal with three sets of problems. First, what will a more democratic university look like

as an organization? […] Second, considering the university as a knowledge institution, what

kinds of knowledge will be created and taught? […] Third, what are better ways of linking

Australian universities to the wider society?”

- Raewyn Connell (FASS), University of Sydney

(http://

www.southernperspectives.net/field/education/the-neoliberal-takeover-in-australian-universitie

s

)

How will the sector react? “The actions of ‘street-level’ public servants actually help create policy in their

specific areas, whether those people recognise it or not. So there is a choice.

Academics grudgingly ticking boxes will have some influence on policy, but

probably not the desired one. We can do better than that. By acknowledging that

higher education policy is something we help to create, rather than something that

is wholly done to us, we can start to make a difference.”

- John Turpenny, University of East Anglia (

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2015/07/29/doing-thing-differently-em

bracing-the-politics-of-higher-education/

)

www.researchstrategies.com.au / blog.researchstrategies.com.au

Click icon to add picture

timcahill@researchstrategies.com.au

Thank you