The shifting sands of research
A number of announcements during August paint an interesting picture of the changing nature of research and innovation within the UK.
Research England announced plans to keep funding flat for university research in 2024-25 (£). University allocations for the next academic year will see no year-on-year rise for direct research and knowledge exchange budgets, including no increase in Quality-related Research (QR) funds or Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF), despite inflationary pressures. Decisions will follow about whether equivalent streams in the devolved nations will change. In a separate announcement, it was confirmed that there will be no open access mandate for longform submissions to the 2029 Research Excellence Framework. Open access for longform outputs remains a key area of policy interest for the funding bodies, however, and an open access requirement for submission of longform outputs will be in place for the next assessment exercise, with implementation from January 2029.
Elsewhere, Research Professional reported (£) on alleged abuses of the UK R&D tax credit system after HM Revenue and Customs estimated that error and fraud have cost the UK £4.1bn since 2020. The figure includes £1.127bn of fraud and error under the small and medium-sized enterprise and R&D expenditure credit relief schemes in 2020-21, and £1.337bn the following year. It projected that the fraud and error would continue in future years, with the expenditure on the schemes totalling £7.7bn this year. The news fed speculation that the R&D tax credit system may be revisited by the new UK Government, with Chi Onwurah (Labour’s shadow science secretary until the election) saying “R&D should be an engine of economic growth and improved wellbeing. It should not be a £4bn tax dodge. HMRC must clamp down on R&D tax credit fraud whilst continuing to support genuine R&D.”
Other news in brief
- OfSE Chair remarks: The new interim chair of the Office for Students in England, David Behan, has written that the golden age of universities is “over”. He argues that universities should consider mergers or partnerships with other struggling institutions to survive in the face of bankruptcy, and that tuition fee rises should also be on the table.
- (Another) new Prif Weinidog: Eluned Morgan MS had her appointment confirmed as Wales’ first female First Minister. She has a degree in European Studies from the University of Hull and worked as a researcher in the media before becoming the youngest member of the European Parliament in 1994, aged just 27. She was granted a peerage in 2011, becoming Baroness Morgan of Ely, and more recently in the Senedd has held ministerial posts for the Welsh language and lifelong learning; international relations; and mental health and wellbeing.
- Nuffield Foundation strategic questions: The Nuffield Foundation revealed the five “big questions” upon which it will focus during its new five-year strategy, indicating that it will seek to: 1) build a prosperous and fair society; 2) build an inclusive society; 3) ensure people and society benefit from rapid developments in science and technology; 4) build a sustainable society; and 5) rebuild and maintain effective, accountable and trustworthy institutions. The foundation is interested in applications for funding this autumn that address any of these themes.
- BA report on post-16 options: A new report from the British Academy has found that the share of students in England studying combinations of disciplines at AS and A Level has narrowed. Students are increasingly choosing all of their AS and A levels from a single subject group – for example, only taking STEM subjects or social science subjects. Between 2015/16 and 2021/22, the proportion of students taking AS or A levels from a single subject group increased from 21% to 36%. The report said the issue stems from “key policy changes”, including the decoupling of AS and A Level qualifications.