Higher Education Research Data Collection
Introduction
The Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR) Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC) collects performance data on research income and research publications. The Department uses the research income and publications returns in conjunction with data from the Higher Education Student Data Collection to determine grants for the following schemes:
- Research Training Scheme (RTS)
- Institutional Grants Scheme (IGS)
- Research Infrastructure Block Grants Scheme (Category 1 research income only - Australian Competitive Grants Register)
- Australian Postgraduate Awards Scheme (APA)
- Commercialisation Training Scheme (CTS)
- International Postgraduate Research Scholarships Scheme (IPRS).
Definition of research
All income reported in the HERDC must meet the definition of research. For the purposes of the HERDC, the essential characteristic of research activity is that it leads to publicly verifiable outcomes which are open to peer appraisal. Research and experimental development comprises:
- creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man [sic], culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications (OECD definition of research and development)
- any activity classified as research and experimental development is characterised by originality; it should have investigation as a primary objective and should have the potential to produce results that are sufficiently general for humanity's stock of knowledge (theoretical and/or practical) to be recognisably increased
Research includes pure basic research, strategic basic research, applied research and experimental development.
Research income categories
Universities must provide research income grouped in the following four categories:
- Category 1: Australian Competitive Grants
- Category 2: Other Public Sector Research Income
- Category 3: Industry and Other Research Income
- Category 4: Cooperative
Research Centre (CRC) Research Income
Research income collection
Income reportable under the HERDC is collected via the Project Quality System and recorded in Research and Innovation Services Research Information System. Research and Innovation Services is responsible for the verification of all research income reported via the HERDC.
The following information will assist you with the initial coding of your projects:
- Definitions: Research Data Collection - Research Income Category
- Definitions: Research Data Collection - Type of Research Activity (TOR)
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Field of research (FOR) Codes and
Socio-Economic Objective Classification (SEO) Codes
For further information contact Sally Carpenter, Manager: Research Performance Monitoring, on ext 23955 or email sally.carpenter@unisa.edu.au.