Divisional Research Performance Fund
The Divisional Research Performance Fund (DRPF) assists divisions to support research activities and enhance research performance. The amount of funding to each division is determined annually by Research Policy Committee (RPC) and is based solely on performance which is calculated from each division's share of the university's overall research performance in preceding years. For this purpose, research performance includes research income, weighted research publications and proportion of staff who are supported researchers.
Division research performance based funding
The proportion of staff in each Division who are supported researchers currently varies between 25 and 45% and this is associated in turn with variable levels of research earnings and publications. Given the critical role of Divisions in building research capacity, it is proposed that Division Research Performance Based Funding is allocated on measures which reflect growth in the research activity of the Divisions, including the proportion of staff who are supported researchers, research income earned, and volume of research outputs. It is understood that Divisions will build research capacity in a systematic way which ensures the capacity of the institution to deliver high quality academic programs is maintained and enhanced through the development of a strong ‘teaching-research nexus’.
Recommendations for Division Research Performance Based Funding
- Total Research Income – including a weighting of 2.5 for all ACG grants averaged across 2 years (50% of allocation).
- Proportion of staff in the Division who are Supported Researchers, with the opportunity to include researchers who have been appointed within the Division in the past 2 years and who earned the appropriate level of income and DEEWR points at their previous place of employment. It is noted that supervising a completing HDR student makes a major contribution to the ‘points’ related to research activity which count towards the award of supported researcher status (25% of allocation).
- Weighted research publication scores based on shared authorship and using a restricted set of publication categories averaged across two years (excluding categories A3A, A3B, B(I), C2, C5, D, E2, E4A, E4B) (25% of allocation).
It should be noted that there has been a review of the points weightings
assigned to a range of publication and other research outputs in Visual Arts
and Design during 2006 by a subgroup comprised of the Heads of the School of
Art and of the Louis Laybourne Smith School of Architecture and Design, the
Research Dean of EASS and the Pro VC: Research and Innovation. Outcomes from
this review will be used to inform the determination of supported researcher
status in the visual arts and design disciplines from 2006 onwards. Their
inclusion in other performance based funding schemes (such as DRPF) is also
under consideration.
Use of DRPF
Use of DRPF should be determined by each Division Research Management Committee in line with their Division research goals. However, it is expected that a balance will be sought between funding for established and new researchers. Funding may be provided for a variety of projects and strategic initiatives including:
- seed funding for new researchers or new research directions
- larger scale projects previously funded under the university-wide Research Development Grants Scheme
- internal infrastructure funding for research groups within the Division
- strategic initiatives
- staff development to assist research capability
- assistance with publication costs
- honours and/or summer scholarship programs
- research degree scholarships in areas of strategic importance to the division.
As the amount of funding provided by RPC is limited it is required that divisions should provide supplementary funding to this program. Advice will be sought from Divisional Pro Vice Chancellors and Vice Presidents each year as to the extent of supplementation.
Process of allocation
The process of allocations will be determined by each division incorporating:
- distribution of information about the fund through the Division
- a call for applications
- a process of review and decision making established by and incorporating Division Research Management Committee.
Monitoring of funds
Expenditure of funds will be monitored according to the Vice Chancellor's authorisation.
Review
The processes used for the allocation of the DRPF, the actual allocations and the outcomes will be reviewed annually by RPC using the following criteria:
- the provision of an appropriate level of supplementary funding by divisions
- the funds are applied to activities that are within the university's definition of research
- Evidence of outcomes from the grants in the form of
- publications
- further funding
- collaborative industrial links
- consultancies etc
- evidence that processes adopted take due cognisance of equity and
early career researchers.
Further information
For further information please contact Sally Carpenter, Manager: Research Performance Monitoring, on x23955 or email sally.carpenter@unisa.edu.au