Category Archives: Research management

Tracking less tangible research outputs

Posted on November 18, 2018 by Frank Norman

When I spot a problem then I start wondering what the solution is. It might be a bottleneck in some workflow, or a process that requires excessive effort to achieve a small effect. So I feel that there must be … Continue reading →

Posted in Metadata, Research management | 1 Comment

Science policy – my favourite sites

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Frank Norman

In a comment on a recent post, Jamie Christie asked me to list my top ten sites on research policy.  I thought this would be a difficult task; the best sites will vary depending on your particular interests, and some … Continue reading →

Posted in Research management | 3 Comments

Informing science and policy

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Frank Norman

Ian Gibson wrote last month in the Times Higher that we need a new generation of politically savvy scientists. He said “many in the scientific community do not see it as their business to get involved in matters of policy. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Research management | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Sir Charles Harington (1897-1972)

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Frank Norman

I have been working for a few weeks to put together some posters for a small internal exhibition about Charles Harington, one of our past directors.  I hope it might be of interest to a wider audience, so I have … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Research Councils, Research management | Comments Off on Sir Charles Harington (1897-1972)

Impact – a view from 1924

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Frank Norman

I sometimes have to hunt through old Annual Reports of the Medical Research Council to look for snippets of history about people or research and it is often striking how the broad themes addressed are still with us today. Take … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Research Councils, Research management | 4 Comments

Looking at an old funding decision

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Frank Norman

A historical article by Martin Johnson et al in Human Reproduction gives a fascinating insight into research funders’ thinking nearly 40 years ago. In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is widespread these days but still manages to excite controversy in some quarters. … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Research Councils, Research management | 5 Comments

Research unpacked

Posted on August 20, 2009 by Frank Norman

I have spent most of the week fiddling about with details of publications and grant codes in Excel, in an effort to make us look good present an accurate picture of my Institute’s publications and matching them up with our … Continue reading →

Posted in Bibliographic management, Bibliometrics etc, Research management | Comments Off on Research unpacked