Dear All,
It would be useful for SWEC to make a response to this via JUC.
The timescale is such that we should be able to filter responses
through the research sub-committee, but perhaps a discussion on
the mailbase might be a first step?
Joan
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Date sent: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 22:08:50 +0100
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From: ALSISS <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: British Academy - review of research support
Copies to: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask]
Dear Colleagues.
______________
From
Miss ELIZABETH OLLARD
Assistant Secretary (Research Grants)
Direct line: 0171-969 5269
Fax: 0171-969 5414
Email: [log in to unmask]
The British Academy
10, CARLTON HOUSE TERRACE
LONDON, SW1Y 5AH
Telephone: 0171-969 5200
Fax: 0171-969 5300
5 October 1999
Dear Colleague,
The British Academy has decided to undertake a review of the research
support offered under its small grants scheme in the humanities and social
sciences. The Academy would very much welcome your views and those of your
membership on any changes that should be made to the scope of the programme.
I enclose a consultation paper, and would be extremely grateful if you
would take the time to consider the various issues set out in it. A brief
questionnaire is attached at the end. ( availble from Andy Cawdell or
myself) It would be much appreciated if you would let me have a response by
15 January 2000. I hope this allows you sufficient time to consult your
members, but of course do let me know if a short extension would help.
You will find a full list of consultees attached. If you have any additions
to suggest, please let me know.
The consultation paper and the questionnaire are also available as Word and
Excel files, respectively. If you would like the files to be sent to you
by email, please let me have your email address.
May I thank you, in advance, for your help.
Yours sincerely,
______________
The British Academy
CONSULTATION PAPER
REVIEW OF RESEARCH SUPPORT
October 1999
Introduction
1 The British Academy has decided to undertake a review of the research
support offered under its small grants scheme in the humanities and social
sciences. A prime reason for undertaking the review has been the number of
changes in recent years in the funding provision available nationally for
basic research, notable amongst which has been the establishment of the
Arts and Humanities Research Board. The AHRB is able to offer funding in
the humanities at Research Council levels, for the first time paralleling
the support offered to social scientists by the Economic and Social
Research Council. The Academy's schemes to support small-scale research in
the humanities and social sciences may therefore now be seen in the context
of complementing the provision offered by two main national funding bodies,
the AHRB and ESRC, in the same way that the Royal Society complements the
funding provision of the Research Councils in the natural sciences. The
Academy will concentrate on the support of individual scholars, whereas
larger, institutionally-based project work will be the preserve of the AHRB
and ESRC.
2 A further reason for seeking to review the scheme is that now, for the
first time, Academy grants are available equally in the social sciences as
in the humanities. Until the establishment of the AHRB, the Academy was the
principal national funding agency for research in the humanities. Now, it
is free to support all subjects which come within its remit C the
humanities and the social sciences. Views will be welcomed on particular
needs in the social sciences which are not met by other funding bodies, or
where the Academy could make a special contribution.
3 The academic interests of the British Academy overlap also with a number
of private charitable organisations, principally the Leverhulme Trust and
the Nuffield Foundation. In considering the support it should offer, the
Academy will bear in mind the funding priorities of such organisations, so
as to ensure that a plurality of funding provision remains for scholars in
the humanities and social sciences.
4 The purpose of this consultation exercise is to seek opinion on how the
Academy should position its support so as to maximise the benefits to the
academic community. The Academy is willing to consider any modifications to
the scheme which may result in more effective support being provided to
enable high-quality research to be accomplished. The Academy's budget for
small grants has more than doubled in the last year, and it is expected
that it will be maintained at around #1.5 million p.a. (out of a budget
administered by the Academy's Research Committee for postdoctoral research
of some #5 million). The Academy is conscious of the balance to be drawn
between (a) enabling a large number of scholars to benefit from the
increased provision, and (b) offering support at a realistic level to
enable research projects, be they pilot-projects or free-standing ones, to
be properly funded. Comments will be particularly welcome on where the
balance should lie as between providing a large number of grants for small
amounts, or a small number of grants for larger amounts.
Consultation procedure
5 The Academy is consulting subject associations, learned societies and
others for their views (a list of consultees is attached, to which
additions will gladly be made). At the same time, a questionnaire will be
sent to a cohort of past holders of Academy awards (copy attached) to
establish the value and impact of grants made. Respondents are requested to
reply by 15 January 2000. The Academy will consider the responses during
the early part of next year, and announcements of the results will be made
in spring/early summer 2000. The scheme will be relaunched for the
beginning of the academic session 2000B2001.
6 This paper is divided into two sections. Section 1 contains background on
the current scope and operation of the small research grants scheme;
Section 2 invites detailed comment on each element. Responses are invited
on standard questions, but respondents are urged to take the opportunity to
range widely in their comments. Please feel quite at liberty to introduce
new issues and comment on any aspect of the grant-giving process, or
foreseeable developments in the research funding culture in the context of
national strategies or policies. Please attach additional sheets as necessary.
Section 1: Background
7 The Academy offers a variety of research support: small grants;
conference grants; international programmes and exchanges; meetings; and
research appointments. This review concentrates on the type of support
offered under the first head, small grants, although views are also sought
on the resources to be devoted to conference support. An annex is attached
giving brief details of the scope of other programmes, and respondents are
welcome to comment on these elements in the Academy's portfolio of research
support, if they are so inclined.
History
8 Since 1962, the Academy has received government funds for the support of
research in various forms. In 1976 the University Grants Committee proposed
the establishment of a Fund, to be administered by the British Academy, to
make small grants to university staff in furtherance of their research
interests. The scheme was inaugurated by the British Academy in 1977, with
an initial budget of #150,000. At the time, the upper limit of awards was
set at #1,000, and the average grant was in the region of #500.
9 In 1994 the Humanities Research Board was established to operate under
the auspices of, but at arm's length from the British Academy. The HRB took
over the administration of small grants in the humanities, while the
Academy retained responsibility for a limited programme of small grants in
the social sciences. The total budget then for small grants across both
sets of disciplines was #545,000.
10 Following the establishment of the Arts and Humanities Research Board in
1998, the Academy resumed responsibility for all small grants, saving those
in the creative and performing arts which are administered by the AHRB. As
noted above the budget for small grants is currently #1.5 million.
Current Scope
11 Small grants are currently available to a maximum of #5,000. Items
eligible for support are: travel; maintenance and accommodation whilst away
from home; research and secretarial assistance; consumables; IT costs,
excluding hardware (eg dedicated software, technical and design assistance
and data entry etc); and pre-publication costs (preparation of
illustrations, camera-ready copy, permission fees).
12 Grants are available for original research at postdoctoral level. The
Academy's small grants scheme is wholly responsive and there is no element
of directed research or thematic priorities. Grants may be sought for pilot
projects, feasibility studies, or self-contained programmes. While
assessors are entitled to take the applicant's track record into account,
the Academy is conscious of a responsibility to support research
activity by recent postdoctoral scholars or others new to research. The
Academy's grants are equally available in the humanities and social
sciences, and to those working within or outside the university
environment. There are no quotas governing the awards to particular
categories of individual nor type of activity.
13 The average grant is in the region of #2,700 for projects in the
humanities and #3,400 for projects in the social sciences. In the course
of the current financial year, it is expected that around 500 grants will
be awarded.
14 Projects typically fall into two main categories: archive/library/other
resource-based studies and fieldwork/social surveys. The Academy might
suggest that projects in the first category can usually be comfortably
financed by grants of up to #5,000. The individualistic mode of research
seems to remain the norm for much research activity in the humanities. (Of
course, important large-scale work is undertaken by national and
international teams of scholars, but such endeavours fall outside the scope
of this review.) Requests for small grants generally centre upon the costs
of taking a single scholar to a particular archive for a relatively short
period of time.
15 Fieldwork and social and similar survey projects, including pilot
projects involving the administration of a questionnaire, however, often
require more substantial funding. It may be necessary to take a small team
into the field for a period of months, and specialist equipment and
relatively costly subsequent analysis of data may be necessary. Academy
grants may be held in conjunction with awards from other bodies, but views
are particularly invited on whether piecemeal funding is an effective use
of resources. There may be particular arguments to be advanced by scholars
engaged in those branches of study whose research base depends upon regular
fieldwork/social survey.
16 Comments are particularly invited on the adequacy of the current upper
limit of awards. Respondents are invited to explain why more money might be
needed to support particular types of activity. The Academy would be
interested in any arguments for or against raising the upper limit.
Respondents might like to comment on the relative importance of supporting
a large number of projects with small amounts of money, or a small number
of projects with larger amounts of money. As an example, with an upper
limit of #5,000, around 500 awards will be made this year with an average
value of around #3,000. With an upper limit of #10,000 and an increase in
the average award to, say, #6,000, then only 250 awards could be made per
year. As the upper limit is increased beyond #10,000, so the number of
awards is likely to fall in proportion.
17 A smaller, but still substantial category is preparation of research for
publication. Consultees will be aware of the debates concerning the
pressures to publish in book form, and the warning notes sounded by
academic presses about the future of monograph publication. Views on the
relative importance of supporting dissemination of research through
traditional publication, as opposed to funding primary research, will be
particularly welcome. Currently, scholars are able to apply for funds to
cover pre-publication expenses, but not those costs that have typically
been considered the responsibility of the publisher eg indexing,
copy-editing, and production expenses. Views will be welcome on the extent
to which research funds should be allowed to be used for the costs of
bringing work to publication.
18 An item that is currently excluded from the scope of direct research
grants is teaching relief. The Academy is aware that time is one of the
elements most urgently needed by research-active scholars. It has been
suggested that scholars should be permitted to bid for small amounts of
teaching relief, perhaps 50% of a teaching load for a single term, under
the small grants scheme. On the other hand, the view may be taken that
support at this minor level would be inadequate to give effective relief,
and might have deleterious effects on teaching quality. It might be
considered that universities and the AHRB/ESRC are better placed to fund
sustained periods of research leave. If teaching relief were allowed, it
could be imagined that most applications would soon include this
element, bringing each bid near to the maximum grant of #5,000. This, in
turn, would limit the number of individuals who could benefit from the
newly-increased provision for Research Grants.
Operation
19 There are four deadlines per year at the end of September, November,
February and April, with results being issued three months later. Every
attempt is made to keep the turnaround period to an absolute minimum
consistent with proper standards of scrutiny. Applications must be
accompanied by two references, from scholars chosen by the applicant.
Papers are sent to the Academy's Grants Officer in the subject section most
relevant to the research proposal, who are charged to consult as may be
necessary (there are 21 Grants Officers, at least one from each of the
Academy's Sections). Additional external reports may be sought as
necessary. Projects are graded according to merit using the following
criteria: Assessors will evaluate the proposal on the basis of its academic
merit, taking into account its originality, its relationship to and the
volume of research already in the field, the scholarly importance of the
research proposed, the feasibility of the research programme, the
specificity of the scheme of research, presentation and intended
outcomes. The graded applications are then reviewed by the Academy's
Grants Committee which determines awards to be made. Offers of award are
issued immediately after the award meeting, and payment is available within
two weeks of notification of acceptance. Feedback is offered to
unsuccessful applicants, where there is constructive advice that can be
provided on remediable defects of a proposal. Awards are normally tenable
for 12 months. The rationale underlying the limitation on the time for
which an award may be tenable is to ensure that academic progress can be
evaluated in a timely fashion, and the use of the public monies monitored
in accordance with best practice. Subsequent applications are allowed.
Conference Support
20 The Academy's Grants Committee is responsible for the allocation of
awards for conference support as well as for personal research. The Academy
offers three main forms of support for conferences: Overseas Conference
Grants, providing travel expenses for a British scholar to present a paper
abroad; British Conference Grants, offering a contribution to the costs of
conferences in the UK, particularly to assist with the costs of bringing
key overseas speakers to participate in a conference held in Britain; and
Major International Congress Grants, giving large grants to contribute to
the administrative expenses of running a major international congress in the UK
21 In addition, block grants are available for learned societies/subject
associations to support the attendance of scholars at conferences
overseas. The relevant organisation applies direct to the Academy for a
grant, and is then responsible for allocating awards to appropriate British
participants.
22 The intentions of the overseas conference programme are to ensure
appropriate British representation at conferences overseas, and in
particular to support younger scholars in disseminating their research,
and networking with international scholars in the field so as to foster and
extend their research interests/capacity. The purpose of the British
conference grants are primarily to bring major international figures to
British conferences, for mutual intellectual benefit. Preference may be
given to supporting scholars from developing or underresourced countries
who could not otherwise attend. Major international congress grants are
given to only a very few select events, and are aimed at keeping the
profile of British academia high in international circles.
23 The Grants Committee's overall budget this year was #1.9 million, of
which #1.5 million was reserved for research grants, compared with #400,000
for conference support. Views are invited on whether this is a suitable
division of resources. Within the conference head, the breakdown is roughly
#240,000 for Overseas Conference Grants, #140,000 for British Conference
Grants and #20,000 for Major International Congress grants (this being a
very small category).By the end of this financial year it is expected that
around 350 awards will have been made to scholars attending conferences
overseas, and around 150 awards to support conferences held in the UK.
Perhaps two grants will be made under the Major International Congress
grant head. Is there support for making any changes to the balance within
the three conference schemes?
Annex A
Academy Research Programmes
International programmes Annual budget: #523,000
Exchanges
The Academy provides opportunities, through exchange agreements with other
Academies, research libraries and other research organisations for British
scholars to carry out individual research programmes or to collaborate in
joint programmes with overseas scholars. Research visits (in either
direction) are supported, as well as attendance at joint seminars or
conferences, and the holding of workshops in connection with joint
projects. The exchange programme may be particularly valuable for scholars
wishing to work in countries where access might otherwise be problematic.
Logistic and other support in arranging a research programme is available
from the relevant partner organisation.
Joint activities
A special programme has recently been established to support international
joint activities involving British scholars in collaboration with foreign
partners. The research programme should be clearly defined (not open-ended)
and involve partners from one or possibly two other countries.
Networks
A new initiative has been developed to promote small networks of scholars
from different countries meeting over a period of three to five years to
work on particular issues or questions of methodology. This scheme is
intended to support research which is wide-ranging in scope, and broader
than that for which the joint activities programme has been developed.
Visiting Professorships and Fellowships
This scheme enables distinguished scholars from overseas to be invited to
spend a minimum of two weeks in the UK. The main purpose is to enable the
visitor to pursue research, but the delivery of lectures and participation
in seminars is also allowed. A British sponsor must apply on behalf of the
overseas scholar.
British Academy Visiting Lectureships
This is another new scheme, and is designed to enable a limited number of
distinguished scholars from overseas (up to 4 a year) to be invited to
spend around 2 weeks in the UK, to deliver a lecture or series of lectures
and/or seminars.
Special international symposia and Meetings
Funds are available to support the organisation of conferences or symposia
in the UK and/or overseas, usually organised jointly by the Academy and
another partner institution (in certain cases, a foreign Academy or
university must be involved).
Research Appointments Annual budget #2.6 million
Research Professorships
The scheme offers a prestigious series of awards, first offered in 1999.
Awards are designed primarily for established scholars who have already
published works of distinction in their field. Applicants should have a
major programme of work which would benefit from a sustained period of
support. The Research Professorship awards enable scholars to be relieved
of their normal teaching and administrative commitments for three years.
Research Readerships and Senior Research Fellowships
These schemes are aimed at established scholars in UK universities who are
in mid-career, having already published works of distinction. Awards allow
scholars to undertake or complete an approved programme of sustained
research, while relieved of their normal teaching and administrative
commitments. Readerships are tenable for two years, and Fellowships for one.
Postdoctoral Fellowships
One of the Academy's most popular schemes, this programme enables
outstanding younger scholars to obtain experience of research and teaching
in the university environment, which will strengthen their curriculum vitae
and improve their prospects of securing permanent posts by the end of the
Fellowship. Awards are tenable for three years.
Research Projects Annual budget: #726,000
The Academy supports a series of major infrastructural research projects,
which are designated 'Academy Research Projects'. This programme is itself
currently under review. In addition, the Academy makes annual grants to
collaborative international projects on behalf of the UK, and provides a
substantial contribution to the New Dictionary of National Biography.
Other Academy activities
Public Understanding and Activities
The Academy runs a lively programme of events each year, including a varied
programme of lectures which are free and open to the public. The Academy's
scholarly symposium programme covers a wide variety of topics. During the
coming year, the Academy will be expanding its activities promoting
'public understanding' of the value of the humanities and social sciences
in British society and culture.
Publications programme
The Academy has a flourishing publications programme, producing volumes
arising principally from lectures and symposia and the Academy Research
Projects. A highly select range of works by Academy Postdoctoral Fellows
are also published by the Academy. To mark its centenary in 2002, the
Academy has embarked on a rolling programme of publications on substantial
topics, reflecting the major intellectual disciplines it represents. The
series will be launched in October 1999 when the first 'centenary' volume
will appear.
British Schools and Institutes
The Academy has an historic responsibility for providing core funding for
British School and Institutes overseas (some of which pre-date the
Academy), and gives grants to a number of sponsored Societies. The Council
for British Archaeology is also supported by the Academy.
______________
With best wishes
Andy
Andy Cawdell
Executive Secretary, ALSISS
Company Secretary, the Academy of Learned Societies for the Social Sciences
'phone and fax +44 (0) 208 693 0866
[log in to unmask]
http://www.alsiss.org.uk
The Association of the Learned Societies in the Social Sciences -
and the Academy of Learned Societies for the Social Sciences
representing 50,000 UK Social Scientists
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