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Professor Paul Wellings Vice-Chancellor, Lancaster University

Explore the challenges and benefits of interdisciplinary research in the globalized higher education sector. Learn about resource allocation, collaboration, connectivity, and innovative strategies for maximizing research impact.

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Professor Paul Wellings Vice-Chancellor, Lancaster University

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  1. As research and education becomes more interdisciplinary, how should resources be organised and allocated? Professor Paul Wellings Vice-Chancellor, Lancaster University HEPI : Research Excellence: competition or collaboration in today’s globalised HE sector? Thursday 2 December 2010

  2. INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH • An old idea rediscovered • Use of methods from many traditional disciplines • Often an attempt to address an important • thematic problem

  3. THE AGE OF MASS INNOVATION “. . . . . Innovators are those people who know 99% that everybody knows and therefore we are able to create the 1% that nobody knows. If you don’t know the 99%, or cannot get access to it, you will not have the foundation to create the new 1% . . . . .” Thomas Friedman (2008) Hot, Flat and Crowded

  4. WHAT IS NEEDED? • Pooling and Connectivity • Rapid Access to Information • External Advice • Greater Programme Level Autonomy • Accessible Funding Streams

  5. NATIONAL RESEARCH PATTERNS Japan United Kingdom (based on data from Elsevier)

  6. UNIVERSITY RESEARCH PATTERNS Global 2007 Global 2007 UNIVERSITY A UNIVERSITY B (based on data from Elsevier)

  7. University A’s Research Portfolio : Comparing Growth and Market Share Competencies to potentially investigate further • Relatively high growth • Lower relative market share

  8. RUSSELL GROUP & 1994 GROUP COMPETENCIES – Evidence for negative allometry

  9. IMPLICATIONS FROM INSTITUTIONAL DATA AND SCALING DATA • The national picture is the sum of a variable • landscape of institutional contributions • Within institutions, priorities appear to be aligned • with global positions • Between institutions, bigger doesn’t generate • proportionately more competencies • Connectivity important • Lots of evidence for inter-institutional collaboration

  10. WHAT TO DO – NATIONAL LEVEL • HEFCE Research Funding should continue to target • excellence wherever it is found • DTCs should be encouraged to allocate a • proportion of studentships to interdisciplinary work • Research Councils should monitor emergent • interdisciplinary research streams and invest in some • areas • Thematic research investments should reward • inter-institutional collaboration and engagement • with end users • Programme autonomy and governance should • reflect the complexity of interdisciplinary research

  11. WHAT TO DO – UNIVERSITY LEVEL • Time of ideas to grow to maturity • Openness in debate and criticism • Hospitality towards novelty • Respect for specialist expertise • Flexibility toward interdisciplinary opportunities

  12. WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS : Ration the number of locations offering really good coffee in order to increase connectivity and the sharing of ideas. Thank You

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