UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE
RESEARCH COMMITTEE
A meeting of the Research Committee of the Academic Board will be held on Thursday, 20 October 2011 from 09.00 hours in the Central Committee Room, the MacLaurin Building.
Agenda papers for this meeting have been issued to members, named alternates and officers in attendance only. Non-confidential papers may be obtained on request from Governance Services (Telephone: 4564; e-mail:).
Refreshments will be available from 08.45 in the Central Committee Room, The MacLaurin Building.
Apologies should be conveyed to the Clerk, Mrs E A Nolan (Telephone: 3280 [external 01707 286280]; email: )
AGENDA – PART I
1 APOLOGIES
To receive apologies for non-attendance at the meeting.
2 TERMS OF REFERENCE AND COMPOSITION
To note revisions to the Committee’s terms of reference approved by the Vice-Chancellor with effect from 1 September 2011 and to note its composition. - Paper 2
3 MEMBERSHIP
3.1 To note the current membership. - Paper 3.1
3.2 Category 5: ‘Heads of Research Institutes (or named alternates)’
To note the appointment of Professor S A Kendall as named alternate to Dr D J Done, following the retirement from the University of Professor K J Gilhooly on 31 July 2011.
3.3 Category 8: ‘Chief Information Officer (or named alternate)’
To note the appointment of Dr D M Ford as named alternate to Professor D E Martin with effect from 1 September 2011.
3.4 Category 12: ‘Co-opted members to ensure adequate coverage of active research areas’
To note the appointment of Dr R A Day with effect from 1 September 2011.
3.5 Category 13: ‘Manager, Research Grants Team’
To note a vacancy for the Manager of the Research Grants Team following the retirement from the University of Mrs L Caras on 31 August 2011.
4 STANDING ORDERS
To note the current Standing Orders of the Academic Board. - Paper 4
5 RESEARCH COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT
To note and approve the Research Committee Annual Report for 2010/2011, to be approved at the next meeting of the Academic Board on 9 November 2011.
- Paper 5
(To follow)
6 MINUTES – RESEARCH COMMITTEE: 26 MAY 2011
To confirm and sign the minutes. - Paper 6
(Confidential)
7 MATTERS ARISING
7.1 Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) Allocations 2011-2015 (Minute 486.3 refers)
To note that the University’s Intellectual Property and Contract Support (IPACS) has been asked to write values into the contracts for research projects involving project partners.
7.2 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) (Minute 487.1 refers)
(Agenda Item 12.2 refers).
7.3 HEFCE Consultation on Allocation Method for Postgraduate Research Funding from 2012-2013 (Minute 487.2 refers)
(Agenda Item 12.4 refers).
7.4 Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Demand Management Consultation (Minute 490.3 refers)
(Agenda Item 15.1 refers).
7.5 Monitoring of Researcher Development (Minute 494.4 refers)
(Agenda Item 17.5 refers).
7.6 Any matters arising from the minutes not taken elsewhere on the agenda.
8 RESEARCH POLICY AND STRATEGY
8.1 University Research Strategy (Minutes 436.1 and 486.1 refer)
To note that the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Strategy 2011-2015 has been published and is available both in hard copy and on the University’s web pages at http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1t9qt/ResearchStrategy2011/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yudu.com%2Fitem%2Fdetails%2F376303%2FResearch-Strategy-2011---2015%3Fedit_mode%3Don
8.2 Research Governance Framework: NHS Sponsorship (Minutes 381.4 and 407.6 refer)
8.2.1 To note that the University’s new insurers, Zurich Municipal, are providing the same cover for NHS Research Projects (non-clinical trials) as the previous insurers, UMAL.
8.2.2 To note that discussions are continuing with Zurich Municipal concerning cover for NHS Research Projects involving clinical trials.
8.2.3 To note that the internal procedures for approval of NHS research projects where the University is acting as Sponsor are unchanged.
8.3 Research Marketing
To receive an oral report from the Chair on current progress with the website and the new research publication.
8.4 Seventh EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7) (Minutes 440 and 486.6 refer)
(Mrs A Sheehan-Evett, Senior European Research Coordinator, will attend for this item, to be taken at 11.00).
To receive a report from Mrs Sheehan-Evett on FP7 and other EU developments.
- Paper 8.4
(To follow)
9 RESEARCH INSTITUTES
9.1 Research Institute Annual Reports 2010/2011
To receive the annual reports of the Research Institutes for the academic year 2010/2011.
9.1.1 Health and Human Sciences Research Institute - Paper 9.1.1
(To follow)
9.1.2 Science and Technology Research Institute - Paper 9.1.2
(To follow)
9.1.3 Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities Research Institute - Paper 9.1.3
(To follow)
10 HESA PERFORMANCE INDICATORS 2009/2010
To receive and note the HESA Performance Indicators in Higher Education for 2009/10. - Paper 10
11 RESEARCH EXCELLENCE FRAMEWORK 2014 (REF) (Minutes 467 and 493 refer)
11.1 HEFCE Guidance on REF Sub-Panels
To note the HEFCE guidance regarding the Sub-Panels for REF, issued on 29 July 2011, available at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/research/ref/panels/
11.2 HEFCE Consultation on Draft Panel Criteria and Working Methods
To note the University’s response to the consultation on the HEFCE Draft Panel Criteria and Working Methods, submitted by the deadline of 5 October 2011. - Paper 11.2
(Confidential)
11.3 REF Management Group
To note the minutes of the following meetings of the REF Management Group:
11.3.1 27 May 2011 - Paper 11.3.1
11.3.2 5 August 2011 - Paper 11.3.2
11.4 University Preparations for REF 2014
To receive an oral update from Dr C Manthorpe, REF Manager, on the University’s preparations for REF 2014.
12 RESEARCH DEGREES
12.1 Research Degree Registrations
To receive an oral report from Mrs H Bennett, Assistant Registrar (Academic Services) on research degree registrations using the new Student System.
12.2 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) (Minutes 469.2 and 487.1 refer)
To receive a report from Dr S Grey, Director of Research Degrees, on the responses to PRES. - Paper 12.2
12.3 Professional Doctorates
To receive an oral report from Dr Grey on progress with professional doctorates, following the second professional doctorate internal workshop which took place on 12October 2012.
12.4 Student Emails and Research Degree Students
To receive an oral report from Dr Grey on student emails and research degree students.
12.5 HEFCE Consultation on the Allocation Method for Postgraduate Research Funding from 2012-2013 (Minute 487.2 refers)
12.5.1 To note the University’s response to the HEFCE Consultation on the Allocation Method for Postgraduate Research Funding from 2012-2013. - Paper 12.5.1
(Confidential)
12.5.2 To note that the consultation responses will be considered by HEFCE at their Board meeting in October 2011, and any proposed changes will be announced shortly thereafter.
13 RESEARCH STUDENTSHIPS
13.1 Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Block Grant Partnership Capacity Building Scheme 2
13.1.1 To note that the call for expressions of interest for Block Grant Partnerships 2 (BGP2) has been announced, which will be the main provision for AHRC postgraduate funding from 2014.
13.1.2 To receive an oral report from Dr S Adams, Associate Head of School (Research), School of Creative Arts, on the AHRC’s “Town Hall” meeting on BGP2 which took place on 10 October 2011.
13.1.3 To note that Dr Adams has been asked to convene a Working Group to develop a bid, to be submitted by the official deadline of 27 February 2012, and to consider membership of the Group.
13.2 Research Councils UK (RCUK) Fee and Stipend Levels for 2011/2012 (Minutes 471.3 and 488.2 refer)
To note that the Research Councils’ doctoral fee level for 2011/2012 has been confirmed as £3,732 per annum.
14 RESEARCH GRANTS APPLICATIONS AND AWARDS
14.1 To review the research grant applications and awards for May, June and July 2011 and the summary for the whole year 2010/2011. - Paper 14.1
(Confidential)
14.2 To review the research grant applications and awards for August and September 2011.
- Paper 14.2
(Confidential)
(To follow)
15 RESEARCH COUNCILS
15.1 Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Demand Management Consultation (Minute 490.3 refers)
15.1.1 To note the University’s response to the ESRC’s Demand Management Consultation, submitted by the deadline of 16 June 2011. - Paper 15.1.1
(Confidential)
15.1.2 To note that the ESRC has provided some historical data on the University’s success rates over the past three years, which will be considered by the OVC Advisory Group (Research).
15.2 Research Council Demand Management Policies as at September 2011
15.2.1 To note the Research Council Demand Management policies currently in operation.
- Paper 15.2.1
15.2.2 To note that the OVC Advisory Group (Research) is considering possible implications for the University and will report back to Research Committee in due course.
15.3 RCUK – Efficiency 2011-2015: Changes to Indirect Cost Grant Submissions from 1 July 2011
To note the latest guidance from the Research Councils regarding implementation of the efficiency factor to be applied to Research Organisations’ indirect cost rate.
- Paper 15.3
16 RESOURCES FOR RESEARCH
16.1 Research Data Management (Minutes 472.1 and 491.1 refer)
16.1.1 To note that the University’s Guide to Research Data Management has been published as an Appendix to IM12, the University’s Data Management Policy, available at http://sitem.herts.ac.uk/secreg/upr/pdf/IM12-apx%20III-University%20Guide%20to%20Research%20Data%20Management-v03%201.pdf
16.1.2 To note the agreed process for support with specifying data management requirements for research funding bids. - Paper 16.1.2
16.1.3 To note the award of JISC funding (£235,000) for a research data management project over 18 months.
16.2 UH Research Archive (UHRA) (Minutes 472.2 and 491.2 refer)
To receive a report from Dr D Ford, Chief Technology Officer, on progress with the UHRA. - Paper 16.2
16.3 Implementation of Research Information System (Minutes 472.3 and 491.3 refer)
To receive a report on current progress concerning implementation of the Research Information System (RIS). - Paper 16.3
16.4 Scholarly Communications
16.4.1 To note the announcement of an open access full-text search engine to aid research and that this is currently being evaluated for use at UH. - Paper 16.4.1
16.4.2 To note the article ‘Academic publishers make Murdoch look like a socialist‘ by George Monbiot about academic publishing in the Guardian, 29 August 2011 (www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/29/academic-publishers-murdoch-socialist)
16.4.3 To note the importance of UH research outputs being available through the UH Research Archive to support wider availability of research outputs, to promote personal and university research profiles, and for maximum citation advantage.
17 RESEARCHER DEVELOPMENT
17.1 Vitae Annual Conference 2011
To receive an oral report from Dr R Day, Vitae East of England Hub Coordinator, on the key themes discussed at the Vitae Annual Conference, which took place in September 2011.
17.2 Researcher Development Framework (RDF) (Minute 468.2 and 494.1 refer)
17.2.1 To note that Dr Day conducted lunchtime briefing sessions on the RDF on 21 June 2011, 27 June 2011 and 1 July 2011, attended by 40 members of staff in total.
17.2.2 To receive an oral report from Dr Day on current progress with implementation of the RDF within the University, and to agree further actions required to implement the RDF and take account of REF requirements.
17.3 Careers in Research Online Survey (Minutes 468.2 and 485.9 refer)
To note that the responses to the Survey are being analysed in light of the analysis of the UK aggregate results published by Vitae at
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/policy-practice/1393-448921/Careers-in-Research-Online-Survey-CROS-2011-Analysis-of-UK-aggregate-results.html and that a full report will be brought to the next meeting of the Research Committee on 1 March 2012.
17.4 Embedding Researcher Development (‘Roberts’) Funding into Normal Funding Mechanisms (Minutes 468.8 and 494.3 refer)
To note that the TRAC Steering Group agreed at its meeting on 19 July 2011 that provision would be made from central funds to pay for training for Research Students (the Generic Training Programme for Researchers) and research staff.
17.5 RCUK Monitoring of Researcher Development (Minute 494.4 refers)
To note the University’s response to the RCUK Strategy Unit’s request for information on the impact of Roberts funding within the University, and the University’s future plans for researcher development, which was submitted by the deadline of 30 June 2011.
- Paper 17.5
(Confidential)
18 RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY
To note the guidance issued by the Ethics Committee for Studies Involving Human Participants regarding ethics issues when conducting online surveys. - Paper 18
19 HR DEVELOPMENT
19.1 Researcher Development Workshops and Events
19.1.1 To note that the Research Grants Team is organising two workshops for researchers during 2011/2012, ‘Creating Your First Research Proposal’ and ‘Research Applications Clinic”, facilitated by Mr J Wakeford of the Missenden Centre, advertised by HR Development.
19.1.2 GTR Booklet 2011/2012
To note that the booklet which highlights careers and skills training, open to research students and staff, has been published and is available on StudyNet at:
http://www.studynet2.herts.ac.uk/res/research.nsf/Teaching+Documents?Openview&count=9999&restricttocategory=Generic+Training+for+Research/Generic+Training+for+Researchers
19.2 People Development Requirements
To identify any other people development requirements and to refer them to HR Development.
20 RISK
To consider any risks inherent in the matters dealt with by the Committee during the meeting but not discussed when the item concerned was taken.
21 AGENDA – PART II
To note and approve Part II of the agenda (items A-F).
Members wishing to comment on any item in Part II of the agenda (which consists of items requiring formal note and/or approval) are asked to inform the Chair through
Mrs Nolan, ext.3280, e-mail at least 48 hours before the meeting. If no such indications are received, Part II will be taken as noted and approved.
22 EMERGENCY BUSINESS
(Admissible only with the consent of the Chairperson given prior to the meeting)
23 DATE OF NEXT MEETING
Thursday 1 March 2012, at 0900 hours, in the Central Committee Room, MacLaurin Building.
Refreshments will be available in the Central Committee Room from 08.45 hours.
Agenda items should be notified to the Clerk by Thursday 9 February 2012,. Supporting papers should be lodged with the Clerk by Thursday 16 February 2012,
(Email: ; telephone extension 3280; Mrs E Nolan, Senior Research Grants Coordinator, Research Grants Team, MacLaurin Building).
All items from Faculties/Research Institutes should be submitted with the approval of the relevant Dean of Faculty/Director of Research Institute as appropriate.
AGENDA – PART II
A READERSHIPS