APPENDIX 16
Memorandum submitted by the Institute
of Physics
1. In December, the results of the latest
Research Assessment Exercise were published. In most subjects,
the number of higher grades had increased compared to the 1996
Exercise. In physics, over 78 per cent of academic physicists
were found to work in departments that contained work of international
excellence. 29 of the UK's 49 physics departments are now doing
research of a higher quality than five years ago. The Institute
is of the view that the current round has captured the true international
calibre of research in physics in the United Kingdom. It is a
much more accurate assessment of the overall quality of physics
research than that which had previously emerged—complementing
the conclusion of the International Review of Physics Research.[4]
2. The RAE has undoubtedly been successful
in focussing university departments on the need to produce—and
continue to produce—high-quality research. The need now,
in all subjects, is to create an environment and provide the funding
to allow research to thrive, for top-rated departments to maintain
their standards, and for others to strive for improvement. The
dual support system is an essential pre-requisite for this to
occur.
3. The Institute believes that the five-year
cycle of the RAE has fulfilled its purpose. It is now up to Government
to ensure that departments operating at the highest levels have
the necessary funding to continue to produce high-quality work,
and those below this level have adequate funds to enable them
to improve. This requires additional funds to be placed at the
disposal of the Funding Councils.
4. The assessment of research in academe
is valuable, but the Institute believes that, in future, full
assessments should be carried out every decade, with the possibility
of a 'light-touch' review every five years. Such an approach would
enable Government and the Funding Councils to show confidence
in the ability and ambition of our academic researchers to continue
to produce high quality research output.
5. The Institute proposes that any department,
which has invested in new facilities and/or staff and which wishes
to improve its rating, should be able to apply, with the appropriate
Funding Council's approval, at intervals of no less than three
years, for a re-assessment. Such a procedure would be an incentive
for even further improvement in the quality of UK research, but
it is important that a fair comparison with the previous assessment
exercise is assured.
6. The RAE has succeeded in improving the
overall quality of research in the UK. The unanswered question
is whether the concentration on research output has had a detrimental
effect on other aspects of Higher Education, for example teaching
and the exploitation of research. The Teaching Quality Exercise
which was carried out for UK physics department in 1998-2000 found
teaching of physics universally to be of a high quality. There
is concern, however, that innovations in teaching and learning
are not being given as much attention as required. By contrast,
in the USA, there is a long tradition, which continues, of innovation
in the teaching of physics and other subjects at the undergraduate
level—much more than has ever been seen in the UK, but particularly
in the past few years.
7. The Institute has two further concerns:
The first is the inexorable pressure to reduce
the funding for departments currently rated 3a or lower. While
such departments are not judged to be producing internationally
competitive research, there are individuals and groups who are
probably operating at a higher level of research than the departmental
rating would imply. These need to be identified, encouraged and
supported to continue with their endeavours.
The second is the need to recognise more fully,
in future assessment exercises, that an increasing amount of research
is interdisciplinary in nature, and that fully appropriate assessment
mechanisms must therefore be adopted
8. In many lower rated departments there
is much significant work being carried out which, in many instances,
has applications to local services and facilities, such as hospitals
and industries. The Government and Funding Councils have to grasp
the nettle of how to support such work. A possibility is that
"the third-leg" and other funding streams be enhanced
substantially to encourage the work of these departments, which
should not be competing for funds with others which are carrying
out research of an international standard.
January 2002
4 International Perceptions of UK Research in Physics
and Astronomy (2000), a review sponsored by EPSRC, PPARC, The
Institute of Physics and The Royal Astronomical Society. Back
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