Ah but ...
1. Its important to understand where the overhead comes from. It is
money that used to be allocated to universities as research block grant
but is now returned to universities in a direct correlation with their
research council income. Obviously, one effect is to favour 'big
science' universities (and depending on the overhead return policy
there departments.
2. Given this, there is obviously a need for universities to support
the wider research infrastructure (personnel, libraries, buildings,
finance, computing etc do not come as free resources however good or
bad they may be in particular instances). There is an understanding
that in principle universities should not subsidise teaching with
research monies and vice versa (although the evidence is that
cross-subsidisation is considerable).
3. Universities do not have to keep money in the centre. Some do, some
return most of it to faculties, some to departments and some have
different practices in different departments.
4. Different models ahve different winners and losers. Winners in an
'overhead returned' system are obviously the grant holding departments
(but this disproportionately benefits big science and puts an
incentive to go for staff rather than research quality) but the losers
are researchers/ departments who do social science and humaninites
research (and vice versa). Clearly universities in financial
difficulties will use any income in an attempt to amerliorate their
crisis. The problem here is obvious, though, in that it can
disincentivise active researchers.
Bigger issues there are, but there don't seem to be simple rights and
wrongs.
Adam Tickell
n Wed, 6 Dec 2000 11:17:52 +0000
Michal Lyons <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Yes, some money is delegated by the centre back into active research
> but certainly not all. Moreover, it is directed according to central
> policies which have a range of interests in mind.
>
> I believe this tension between centre and periphery, general
> administration on the one hand and teaching and research (both) on
> the other, is manifested in many instances of struggle for control
> over resources. From my narrow perpective, it seems as though the
> power of the centre is growing at teh present time.
>
> So, bigger issue there, I suppose.
> Regards,
> Michal
>
> **********************************
> Dr. Michal Lyons
> Reader in Human Geography
> Faculty of the Built Environment
> South Bank University
> Wandsworth Road
> London SW8 2JZ
> England
> tel +44 020 7815 7239
> fax +44 020 7815 7104
> ***********************************
----------------------
Adam Tickell
School of Geographical Sciences
University of Bristol
Bristol
BS8 1SS
0117 928 9038
http://www.ggy.bris.ac.uk/staff/ggatt/index.htm
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