Research
Research Excellence Grant
The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008 (published in December 2008) has given us a measure of the quality of research carried out in Scotland.
Following RAE 2008, SFC replaced its Main Quality Research Grant and Research Development Foundation Grant with the Research Excellence Grant (REG) in academic year (AY) 2009-10. The funding model for REG accommodates the results of the RAE 2008, and continues to underpin the structure and value of the dual support system. (Under the dual support system, the UK Research Councils provide grants for specific projects and programmes, while SFC provides block grant funding for universities to carry out
ground-breaking research of their choosing.)
In broad terms, when developing the policy for REG it was informed by:
- the need to support the research base in Scottish universities ensuring it is maintained, sustained and remains globally competitive and attractive to the best researchers;
- the need to recognise and encourage business support by universities;
- the need to uphold the principles of the dual support system, including full economic costs from Research Council, charity, European and other research income (including private, public and the third sector (charities, voluntary and social enterprise) to retain confidence in the Scottish university research base;
- the requirement to address our responsibilities to early career researchers, as identified in the UK-wide Concordat to support the career development of researchers, which the Council is signed up to;
- the need to ensure support for the personal, professional and career development of researchers, including postgraduate researchers, and research staff in universities through the UK-wide Vitae Programme; and
- the need to anticipate the move to greater future use of metrics in research assessment.
We believe that the most appropriate and transparent way to achieve this is through
a block grant. This is based on graded research active staff and allocated differentially on quality. Further details on how we allocate the REG can be found in pages 44-52 of the General Fund: Grant Letter for AY 2010-11 [PDF] and also in the Main Grant Letter for AY 2011-12 [PDF]
For 2011-12 we have maintained in cash terms, the Research Excellence Grant, however we have refocussed it to give priority to supporting excellence. Further details can be found in Annex K of the Indicative Grant Letter for 2011-12.
Additional information
Research Excellence Grant 2012-13 model and other activity indicators [XLS]
Research Excellence Grant 2011-12, model and other activity indicators [XLS]
Research Postgraduate Grant
The Research Postgraduate Grant is provided to universities to invest in the environment for high quality research training and development, and enhance the contribution of postgraduate research students to the research base in Scotland.
In 2011-12 we will allocate £28.2 million (maintained in cash terms from 2010-11) formulaically in proportion to research postgraduate enrolments weighted by subject disciplines.
However we will no longer allocate a proportion of this grant to contribute to the costs of providing research postgraduate studentships at each institution.