Written evidence submitted by the Research
Councils UK (RCUK)
1. Research Councils UK (RCUK) is a strategic
partnership set up to champion research supported by the seven
UK Research Councils. RCUK was established in 2002 to enable
the Councils to work together more effectively to enhance the
overall impact and effectiveness of their research, training and
innovation activities, contributing to the delivery of the Government's
objectives for science and innovation. Further details are available
at www.rcuk.ac.uk
2. This evidence is submitted by RCUK on behalf
of the Research Councils listed below and represents their independent
views. It does not include, or necessarily reflect the views
of the Knowledge and Innovation Group in the Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills (BIS). The submission is made on behalf
of the following Councils:
Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
(BBSRC)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
(EPSRC)
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
3. RCUK considers that investment in attracting,
training and managing the next generation of world-class researchers
makes a major contribution to the impact of research and benefits
the economic and social wellbeing of the UK.
4. RCUK considers that supporting excellent graduates
and encouraging them to move into research training and careers
develops the next generation of academic and non-academic researchers
and helps maintain the capacity and quality of the UK research
base. Our vision is:
— to
ensure that the best potential researchers from a diverse population
are attracted into research careers;
— to
enhance the quality of research training and the employability
of early stage researchers; and
— to
enhance the impact of UK researchers by promoting improved career
development and management of research staff by research organisations.
5. The Research Councils fund 25% of all PhD
graduates in the UK (44% of UK domiciled Doctoral graduates and
35% of UK/EU domiciled PhD graduates).
6. In our published response to the Browne Review[111]
we identified concerns that should be taken into account when
implementing the recommendations:
— The
ability to continue to achieve widening participation and attract
the best people into higher education.
— The
impact on funding provision and supply of graduates across all
academic disciplines.
— The
balance between teaching and research to consider the impact of
pressures on both sides as many academics are active researchers
and teachers.
7. RCUK has a further concern about the potential
impact of the Browne Review and changes to tuition fees on the
whole system, and particularly on research PhDs. We will
ensure that this concern is input to Professor Sir Adrian Smith
to reconvene his review panel and consider the issue in the light
of the new funding environment.
8. RCUK also provided a significant input to
"One Step Beyond - Making the most of postgraduate education"
by Professor Adrian Smith. We published a short response to the
report on 31 March 2010.[112]
Our input to "One Step Beyond" described important
areas of RCUK activity which influence HE provision and outcomes
from postgraduate research training. These include:
8.1 Funding and structures for postgraduate
training
Research Councils have progressively
introduced training- or block-grant models for postgraduate funding
that allow flexibility to higher education institutions (HEIs)
to offer longer postgraduate courses including four-year courses
in certain strategic and interdisciplinary areas. Recent developments
also include a strong focus on doctoral training centres which
may support cohorts of doctoral students in strategic areas or
critical mass in selected disciplines and institutions. These
and other approaches deliver greater concentration of resources
in centres of excellence.
8.2 Destinations of postgraduate researchers
Over half of doctoral graduates
take employment outside HEIs. RCUK is helping to build better
understanding of career destinations of postgraduate researchers,
their career progression and the various economic and social impacts
they achieve by undertaking a major longitudinal analysis of doctoral
graduates across all disciplines. The results are published in
"What do Researchers Do? - doctoral graduate destinations
and impact three years on".[113]
RCUK funds the Vitae Programme which provides careers advice to
postgraduate researchers and helps drive HEIs to provide their
postgraduates with the employability skills they need to succeed.
8.3 Employability of postgraduate researchers
RCUK have addressed the employability
of postgraduate researchers by stimulating a step-change in the
provision of a broad range of transferable skills training for
postgraduate researchers to ensure that HEI's embrace transferable
skills fully in their training programmes. We remain committed
to this agenda.
9. RCUK is able to provide the Committee with
further information if requested including its input to "One
Step Beyond" and welcomes the decision by BIS to reconvene
Professor Adrian Smith's Postgraduate Review in the light of the
new funding environment.
10 March 2011
111 http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/media/news/2010news/Pages/101011.aspx Back
112
http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/media/news/2010news/Pages/310310.aspx Back
113
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/CMS/files/upload/WDRD_3_%20years_%20on_soft%20copy.pdf Back
| 
