Post-Finch- UUK’s role

Chris Hale

Assistant Director of Policy

Overview

• Context: UK science and research• Open access as a strategic priority• Post-Finch challenges• Scope and membership of UUK OA group

Context: UK science and research

• UK continues to show strong performance• Steady growth in investment over first decade of 2000s• Despite recent challenging fiscal environment, overall, the budget for science

and research has been protected in cash terms for the life of the current spending review &15-16 (at £4.6 billion in cash for 2015-16) and the research ring fence has been maintained- despite overall significant reductions for BIS

• Good outcome for the sector given the circumstances (research performance, impact and efficiency have all been important in terms of achieving this outcome)

• Real terms decrease, however, creating increasing pressures on the research and science budgets:– Increasingly selective funding policies, leading to further concentration of

research funding– Increased focus on efficiency (eg Wakeham)

• Challenges for maintaining a sustainable and diverse higher education research eco-system

3

More challenges ahead

• Economic recovery picking up but early days• Structural deficit remains high• Prospects for public funding remain extremely challenging• IFS:

– consolidation due to last at least until 2017-18– further squeeze on non-protected budgets (of which BIS is one)– range of scenarios, but could see further cuts of between 15-30% (UUK ‘Funding challenges’)

• Sector needs to make a coordinated and strong case for the importance of research over the next year. UUK priority areas:

– value and impact of research to the economy and society more widely– role and importance of the dual support system, and QR funding – attracting and retaining talent

• Implications of a further squeeze on research funding:– greater impetus for collaboration? – further selectivity- consequences of the health and dynamism of research base as a whole?– more directed funding to meet identified needs?– diversification of funding?

Open Access as a strategic priority

• To sustain and promote public investment we must be able to demonstrate that it is open, accessible and having wide ranging impact. Open access is therefore a strategic issue that must be seen in this context.

• OA not without its challenges, but…– Contributes to the profile and impact of UK research (both academic and wider

economic public)– Places UK as key global player– Places the UK well in an increasingly disrupted environment– Benefits efficiency

Post-Finch challenges (1)

• RCUK, REF and other policies have been set out and implementation is underway.

• Key issues set out in the Finch implementation report and BIS response are:

– Better evidence on the transition both in terms of how universities are responding, costs of APC and journal pricing (a single version of the truth)

– Total costs of publication – Monitoring and engaging with international developments – Ensuring good competition and value for money in the publishing market– Coordinating and monitoring implementation of Finch– Embargo periods and licensing – Managing and sustaining the costs of open access in universities and development

of effective university policies and compliance – Strengthening the repository infrastructure

Post-Finch challenges (2)

• Universities UK has been tasked with taking forward a new coordinating role to sustain momentum:

A formal co-ordinating structure should be established, convened by Universities UK, to secure dialogue and engagement across all the stakeholders in research communications; to co-ordinate their work and avoid duplication or divergence in areas including development of the infrastructure, evidence-gathering, monitoring, and communications; and to deal with issues and problems as they arise.

Scope and membership of UUK OA group (1)

• Five main areas of focus:– Developing and interpreting the data and evidence base on the implementation of

open access in priority areas (to be agreed by the group)– Coordinating related research and activity being undertaken by stakeholders– Commissioning research to fill gaps in the evidence– Providing advice on policy and the direction of implementation of open access– Providing advice on the coordination and development of open access

infrastructure

• International and EU dimensions

Scope and membership of UUK OA group (2)

• UUK governance– 2 X UUK nominations – 2 X publishers – 1 X learned society publisher– 1 X Open Access publisher– 1 X Wellcome Trust – 1 X Research Councils– 1 X Funding Councils– 1 X JISC – 1 X SCONUL– 1 X RLUK– 1 X ARMA– 1 X British Library– 1X AMRC– 2 X Learned Societies or Academies

• First meeting currently being set up

Questions?

Christopher.hale@universitiesuk.ac.uk