Category Archives: James Wilsdon

Can One Simplify the REF?

Posted on 14 October 2024 by Athene Donald

The REF is much in the news, with some feathers ruffled by UK Day One’s proposal to simplify the whole process, as detailed in their report Replacing the Research Excellence Framework. I am sure there are academics and administrators up … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in grants, James Wilsdon, research culture, Science Culture, Science Funding, The Metric Tide | Comments Off on Can One Simplify the REF?

What Do We Know about the Research Ecosystem?

Posted on 1 October 2019 by Athene Donald

While funders make decisions about where their money goes, and PhD students decide what to study, with whom and where before they go on to wander along the career maze; while publishers decide who to publish and universities around the … Continue reading →

Posted in careers, Equality, James Wilsdon, Research, RoRI, Science Culture | Comments Off on What Do We Know about the Research Ecosystem?

Getting the Balance Right

Posted on 12 August 2018 by Athene Donald

Without much fanfare, the allocations across the different research councils have just been announced until the end of the current spending round.  What processes went into making decisions about the distribution between the different research councils is not obvious, or … Continue reading →

Posted in Biomedical Bubble, Commons Science Select Committee, James Wilsdon, Research, Richard Jones, Science Funding, Strength in Places Fund, UKRI | Comments Off on Getting the Balance Right

Light Touch Metrics?

Posted on 30 November 2015 by Athene Donald

In the summer metrics looked like they had been substantially laid to rest for the Higher Education sector: The Metric Tide report, written at the behest of the (probably the about-to-be-late-lamented) HEFCE took many pages to point out that metrics … Continue reading →

Posted in James Wilsdon, REF, Sajiv Javid, Science Culture, TEF | Comments Off on Light Touch Metrics?

A Basketful of Metrics?

Posted on 9 July 2015 by Athene Donald

For those who were involved with any aspect of REF2014, it had similarities to a slow speed nightmare. For those embroiled in preparing the submissions, not only was it extremely, ridiculously time-consuming, but it was also a heavy burden of … Continue reading →

Posted in HEFCE, James Wilsdon, REF, Research | Comments Off on A Basketful of Metrics?