Funding councils must continue to consider the impact of research beyond academia to ensure that research funding can respond to a fast-changing environment, according to a report from the University Alliance.
A report published by the business-focused universities of the University Alliance on 12 March petitions the UK’s research funding councils to continue to recognise the value of assessing the impact of research to drive excellence. The group’s members did very well in the latest research assessment exercise the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and as a result can expect their overall quality-related (QR) funding to rise considerably in 2015-16 compared with 2014-15, according to a projection by Research Fortnight.
In the report, the group argues that research must be adaptable to wider changes, such as increasing global competition, to continue delivering returns. This means that academics must engage with, be informed by and have an impact on the users of research, it says.
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