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Universities fear future funding implications of Covid-19 work

Image: The University of Manchester

Redirection of resources means universities are falling behind with non-Covid research, says Nancy Rothwell

Universities fear they could be “penalised” financially for their contribution to fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, the head of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities has said.

In a letter to the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee chair Greg Clark published on 16 October, Nancy Rothwell noted that some of the group’s universities have shifted much of their work to Covid-19, and they now fear this could hurt them in the long run.

For example, she said the University of Oxford is “especially impacted by a pause in trials for non-Covid research”, given that much of its capacity is still committed to fighting Covid-19. The university is currently developing a vaccine alongside pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

This delay has had a negative impact on the university’s ability to prepare for the Research Excellence Framework, she added, with possible implications for quality-related funding “for a number of years to come”.

“A small number of other universities will also have been significantly affected and there is real concern that they too could effectively end up being penalised for doing the right thing,” she added.

“We hope the government will work with Oxford and other universities to ensure that those who have contributed the most to supporting national efforts are properly recognised in the upcoming spending review.”

Rothwell noted that all 24 members of the group had experienced “some degree of delay to non-Covid related clinical trials” during the pandemic.

While most Russell Group universities said the majority of clinical trials delayed by the pandemic have recommenced, some have a restart rate of only 50 per cent, Rothwell told the committee.

She said challenges when restarting non-Covid research include sponsors needing to coordinate multiple restarts across the UK and internationally; nervousness of volunteers to return to a clinical setting and patient recruitment; the limitations of virtual engagement; and the need to maintain social distancing and safety measures.

She also noted the limited capacity of specialist staff in high-demand areas such as testing and imaging, with many currently working on Covid-specific projects or supporting the government’s test and trace programme.

She also said several Russell Group universities are working on developing vaccines and treatments for Covid-19, meaning the pressure to deliver vaccines and to prepare for increased clinical Covid workload “are important factors when prioritising work”.

Rothwell’s letter comes after the National Institute for Health Research revealed that fewer than half of its studies were currently open to recruitment after being paused due to coronavirus.