The role of Fellowships & Grants in an Academic Career

1. The role of Fellowships & Grants in an Academic Career Dave Bembo Research & Commercial Division 30-36 Newport Road tel x75159 fax x74189 bembo@cf.ac.uk www.cf.ac.uk/racdv

2. Interpretation • An academic career in this context means progression from: • (frequently) postgraduate level work leading to a research degree • postdoctoral (or equivalent) level work as a research assistant / research associate (PDRA) • a greater degree of independence, possibly as a research fellow • Q - How does writing grant applications and holding research funding fit with this ? • Q - Do you recognise yourself in this list ?

3. Scope: Cardiff University - research awards and performance University research strategy & key issues The RAE context Research grants vs Fellowships Your eligibility to apply for and hold research funding in your own right [ Points of contact for research support ]

4. Research activity versus total turnover Total Cardiff University turnover c. M£320 New research awards (grants & contracts): M£110 in 2006/07 1,625 ‘live’ externally funded research projects @ March 2006, total value M£278 1,789 research applications made by Cardiff staff logged in RACD in 2006/07 for a total of M£299 (mean = £167K) Average CU research award 2006/07: £129K (£97K in 2004/05, £113K in 2005/06)

7. Research awards by sponsor (2006-07)

8. Research awards by school (2006-07)

9. Extract from Cardiff University’s Research Strategy, 2006/07 – 2010/11 UK top 5 by 2012; World top 50 by 2015 (99th in THES World rankings Nov 2007, 141st in 2006) [maintain increase in research income; focus on dissemination & profile] RAE 2007/8 and beyond [new metrics and KPIs] “The University values the contributions of research staff at all stages of their careers, and supports actively the development of measures of esteem at both an individual and school level. The University recognises that early stage researchers make an important contribution to its research culture.” Quality of research applications, internal peer review http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/plann/strategicplan/index.html

10. Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) Regular UK Government review of research activity in HEIs. Recently in 1996, 2001 and now 2007/8. Subject based panels and sub-panels, not always equating to departments and schools. Profile outputs for 2007/8. Importance of independence of researchers. Financially, RAE measures research income per FTE per annum Outputs – (usually) 4 key papers for each member of staff returned. Impact factors important. Esteem factors. Environment. Numbers of PhD students and RAs. RAE grade drives QR funding model. ‘Premiership’ transfer market for staff.

11. Q – do you know where you ‘fit’ in the RAE ?Q – do you see the RAE as a negative or positive factor in terms of your career development ?

12. Eligibility to apply for and hold Research Grants & Fellowships Most Cardiff University research grant bids submitted by ‘academic staff’, i.e. lecturers, senior lecturers, readers, professors. UK Research Councils and other major funders often place significant restrictions on eligibility to apply for research grants, e.g. permanent HEFCW funded academics only (see later slides). Seldom any such restrictions for Fellowship applications – generally open to applications from a far wider field of candidates.

13. Focusing on Research Fellowships …..the term "Fellow" is used to describe a temporary academic post. Generally, a fellow has very limited teaching duties and devotes the bulk of their time to research (http://en.wikipedia.org) …..not a research assistant working on someone else’s project grant …..can be the first step to becoming an independent researcher …..fellowship needs to be viewed as an opportunity to develop a research career (MRC Training & Career Development Board) ….. a personal award, with a high esteem factor. ‘RAE friendly’.

14. Fellowships are more about the quality of individuals, and less about their projects.

15. Example: evaluation criteria and weighting for EU Marie Curie TMR Fellowships, first step evaluation process (FP6) B1 Scientific Quality of the Project 30 % B2 Quality of the research training B3 Quality of the host B4 Quality of the Researcher 70% B5 Management and Feasibility B6 Added value and Relevance to the objectives of the activity B7 Previous proposals and contracts B8 Other Issues

16. Cardiff University view of Research Fellowships The recipe for excellence in research: Recruit and retain the best people Provide a high quality environment Support their development; give them time to generate outstanding ideas Reap the benefits…… Holders of Research Fellowships have demonstrated via peer review: their individual quality & competitiveness a desire to develop a personal research portfolio

17. Q – is a Fellowship right for you ?Q – is a Fellowship right for you, right now ?

18. Eligibility to apply for and hold research grants Research Councils and other main sponsors - significant variation in the minimum qualifying criteria for an individual to apply for grants as PI (where ‘grant’ = Responsive Mode award, Project Grant,or equivalent) n.b. not Fellowships.Examples:1. AHRC - PIs and CoIs must be directly funded by a Higher Education Funding Council (e.g. HEFCW); research assistants and research fellows are explicitly ineligible to apply for funding. 2. ESRC - places no restriction on research assistants applying as PI, and applicants are eligible for funding whether or not they are established members of a recognised institution (provided that institution supports the application and any resulting research activity).

19. Eligibility of research fellows to apply for research grantsFellows are often defined by funders as those holding externally funded fellowships awarded competitively, and can be regarded as eligible by certain funders while those same funders exclude research assistants employed on project grants from submitting applicationsi.e. fellows are sometimes at an advantage in terms of the funding that may be available to them.

20. Overall, a confusing picture. Cardiff University recognised this, and policy was established in late 2005/early 2006. Paper was reviewed by Early Stage Researchers Steering Group, October 2005, and approved by University Research Committee, December 2005 (paper 05/185). Final stage of approval – Human Resources Committee in early 2006.Objectives:Clarity for researchers and schools on * what is expected of researchers in terms of generating funding proposals* what support should researchers expect from academic schools* what are the risks, and how can they be managed

21. CU Research Committee recommendations :Clearly, minimum criteria set by funders must be observed.Early career researchersshould be encouraged to apply for research funding, where appropriate for them to do so.Key factors to consider:* existing time commitments of research staff* career stage and expectations of individual & schooltied in with supervision / mentoring / job description / targets and appraisal* alignment of proposals with school & CU priorities* co-investigators may be required for internal purposes only* focus is on maintaining quality of proposals in a very competitive arena.

22. Current relevance (2007):1. An increasing emphasis on quality of research proposals across the university sector – e.g. RCUK consultation on the Efficiency of the Peer Review process, 20072. Comparisons of average success rates of HEIs in securing Research Council funding (THES and Research Fortnight, summer 2007)- Cardiff average was circa 24% (some competitors 30-40%)3. Cardiff’s increasing focus on quality of proposals, quality of research undertaken and quality of research outputs, versus raw financial performance (i.e. value of research awards)

23. First steps in bidding for research grants:1. Talk with your supervisor / principal investigator / line manager. Agree on what you should be focusing on and what is expected of you in terms of bidding for research funding. How does this fit with your other duties? Shared goals, common agenda.Q – is this a discussion that you feel you can have ? 2. Contact the funder and check your personal eligibility – don’t rely on interpretation of tables or web sites as there is often an element of subjectivity, and the position adopted by a funder evolves.

24. Questions or comments ?

25. Research Development Staff in RACDV Dr Dave Bembo Tel: 75159; Bembo@cardiff.ac.uk Jane Whittingham (Research Information Officer); Tel: 76930; WhittinghamJ@cardiff.ac.uk Nick Bodycombe (European Office Manager); Tel: 75834; Eevi Laukkanen (European Officer); Tel: 70114; LaukkanenEM@cardiff.ac.uk BodycombeN@cardiff.ac.uk Dr Amanda Jones (Heath Park Schools) Tel: 79296; JonesAL6@cardiff.ac.uk Dr Samantha Redman (Life Sciences) Tel: 79177; Redman@cardiff.ac.uk Dr Lee Bartlett (Engineering & Physical Sciences) Tel: 79198; BartlettLM@cardiff.ac.uk Dr Paul Goodwin (Engineering, Physical & Natural Sciences) Tel: 75464; Email: GoodwinPA@cardiff.ac.uk Dr Hywel Edwards (Engineering & Physical Sciences) Tel: 76957; EdwardsH3@cardiff.ac.uk Sally O’Connor (Social Sciences) Tel: 75494; OConnorS@cardiff.ac.uk Rebecca Blackwell (Humanities) Tel: 77134; BlackwellRM@cardiff.ac.uk