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Changes to HEFCE funding of Home/EU Postgraduate Research Students

HEFCE Research Degree Programme QR funding 2012/13

Table 1: Summary of Keele QR funding over the past 2 years

2012/13 / 2011/12 / difference / % change
Mainstream QR / £ / 4,448,441 / 4,774,233 / -325,792 / -7%
QR charity support fund / £ / 524,353 / 552,829 / -28,476 / -5%
QR business research element / £ / 174,562 / 176,707 / -2,145 / -1%
RDP supervision fund / £ / 1,030,830 / 1,024,054 / 6,776 / 1%
Total QR / £ / 6,178,186 / 6,527,823 / -349,637 / -5%
RDP as % of mainstream QR / 23.2% / 21.4% / - / 8.4%
  1. RDP Supervision fund

As previously reported at Research Committee and Graduate School Board, HEFCE have allocated an additional £35m to the Research Degree Programme (RDP) supervision fund to support the funding of postgraduate research students. This represents the majority of thefunding saved by discontinuing funding 2* rated research from the 0.3 level in 2011/12 (see mainstream QR below). At the same time HEFCE hasalso changed the methodology of allocating the RDP supervision funding, moving from a flat rate per PhD student in lab-based and non-lab-based subjects to weighting funding far more selectively towards departments with higher proportions of 3* and 4* research.

The significant increase in PGR numbers at Keele has mitigated against what would have seen a fairly significant decrease in RDP supervision funding mirroring that in mainstream QR income from 2009/10 to 2012/13. Consequentially, this funding stream has actually shown a small (1%) increase for 2012/13at £1.031m, and now represents 23.2% of mainstream QR income compared to 15% in 2009/10.

However, the new selective nature of the RDP funding allocation has led to significant changes across different Units of Assessment (which is illustrated in Table 2 below - the column in bold text). Units which have a significant increase in this funding are: English (+34%), Music (+31%), Applied Maths (+24%), Business & Management (+22%) and Law (+20%), resulting from a higher proportion of 3* and 4* rated research and/or a significant increase in the number of research students. Likewise there have been significant decreases inUoAs with a high proportion of 2* rated research: Other lab based clinical subjects (-43%), Politics and International studies (-27%), Psychology (-22%).

The second to last column in bold text, shows the new rates of funding per PGR FTE at Keele. These rates are based on the ‘quality score’ and weighted PGR FTEs for that Unit of Assessment compared to that Unit across the sector. At Keele PGR students in Politics and Other Lab based clinical subjects will now bring in RDP supervision funding of only £2,778 and £2,964 per annum, whereas those in Applied Maths bring in £7,171 per annum, which highlights the selectivity of RDP supervision funding which has been introduced.

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Table 2: Keele University 2012/13 RDP supervision fund by Units of Assessment (RAE2008)

Note: Quality score is proportion of 3* & 4*, divided by total 2*, 3* & 4*

PGR FTEs are those from the HESA 2010/11 student return (n.b. Home & EU PGR students only)

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Across the sector the RDP supervision fund has increased overall by 17.1%. Cambridge (20%), Oxford (25%), Manchester (24%), Imperial (29%) and UCL (25%)have all received very significant increases in their RDP supervision fund, varying from £2.36m to £3.71m, while other members of the Russell group have also seen significant increases. HEIs with a high proportion of research rated at 2* or below have seen very significant decreases in their RDP supervision funding, for example,Worcester (-62%), Gloucestershire (-45%), Staffordshire (-30%), Derby (-40%), Harper Adams (-39%), Liverpool Hope (-57%), Chester (-28%), Greenwich (-35%), Huddersfield (-21%), East London (-25%),West London (-50%), London Metropolitan (-15%); with reductions of up to £270k in their RDP funding (from an already small base).

  1. Mainstream QR

As previously announced HEFCE has completely removed mainstream QR funding for 2* rated research. This has negatively impacted Keele’s mainstream QR funding by£326k (-7%) which is slightly more than that projected simply by removing the funding for 2* rated research from our 2011/12 QR allocation. This is because HEFCE has maintained the relative proportions of funding in UoA funding pots for STEM subjects at 2008/09 levels, which has therefore reduced theUoA funding pots in non-STEM subjects.

All Keele’sUoAs have some 2* rated research, and therefore all have seen a reduction in mainstream QR compared to 2011/12, apart from Applied Mathematics which shows a very modest £375 increase (see ring-fenced STEM pot above), as indeed have almost all UoAs at all HEIs across the sector (see National Context below). It obviously follows that the largest losses of QR income in percentage terms compared to 2011/12 are in those UoAs which have higher proportions of 2* rated research: Psychology (-25%), Other laboratory based clinical subjects (-16%), Politics and International Studies (-14%).

  1. CharitySupport Fund and Business related element

This funding is based on data supplied in the HESA finance return (2010/11). The Charity support fund is £524k and the business related element is £175k, both showing a slight decrease on the previous year. This funding is allocated to Research Institutes on the basis of how it was earned. The majority of the Charity support fund is allocated to Primary Care and ISTM reflecting the significantly higher Charity funding obtained in the two health-based RIs.

  1. The National Context

The two significant changes to the QR funding methodology, namely the removal of funding for 2* rated research and the more selective funding of postgraduate research students based on the proportion of 3* and 4* rated research through the RDP supervision fund, has resulted in some significant changes in QR funding across the sector.

Institutions seeing the biggest decreases in QR funding are Cranfield (£897k), St. George’s Medical School (£872k) and Plymouth (£536k), reflecting high proportions of 2* (or below) rated research, while institutions with the highest proportion of 3* and 4* rated research have seen significant increases in their QR funding through the change in the funding of postgraduate research students to a more selective methodology. The biggest increases are, unsurprisingly, Imperial (£3.1m), Cambridge (£3m), Oxford (£2.6m).

  1. QR by Research Institute

The spreadsheetbelow shows the QR (and all four elements) allocated by Unit of Assessment and Research Institute for 2012/13 and 2011/12. ISTM QR income has remained stable due to the increases in Charity support fund and business related element offsetting the decrease in mainstream QR income. All the other RIs have reduced QR income, with Primary Care seeing a 17% decrease, which is due to all QR elements reducing, with that in EPSAM, Humanities and Social Sciences reducing by between 3-5%.

Mark Ormerod

Ellie James

30th April 2012

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