Oxygen for the Alphas

Strengthening research quality and strategy in SSH

Esther De Smet

@sterretje8

Caution: rather bland presentation coming up

Ghent University― °1817, urban university with 11 schools (faculties)

― 42.000 students (15% international)

― Large research community: 1500 professors, 1200 postdocs, 3900 predocs

― €250 million research expenditure

― Iconic library, 2 science parks

― EC label HR Excellence in Research, ECTS label

― Shanghai ranking: 64

Research Department > Policy and Quality Control Unit

Set-up of Alpha Action Plan (2012)

– Two main goals: better quality + better visibility / appreciation

– Developing methods and incentives relevant for SSH– Bibliometrics bias

– Higher individuality, less ‘big’ funding, smaller groups

– High teaching load

– Societal value creation

– Lessons learned

from previous spearhead strategy (2010)

Set-up of Alpha Action Plan

– Budget: € 4,25 million over 5 years

– Four focus areas:1. Research professors: 4 tenured professors + 15 tenure track positions

2. Research sabbaticals

3. Research coordinators

4. Research evaluation

– In parallel:– Flemish Academic Bibliographic Database (VABB)

– New policy plan on societal value creation (IM-pact)

– New guidelines on research assessment

Focus area: research sabbaticals– Funded by Special Research Fund (ideally as top-up to existing mobility grants)

– 80 professors for 6 months, 20 for 1 year = 1/3!

– No

– Neither for newbies or end-of-career

– Requirements: research plan, reporting

Focus area: research sabbaticals– New projects

– Invest in communication and value creation of existing work

– Data

– Catching up

– New strategy/research focus

– Peace of mind/renewed energy

– Group dynamics

BUT

₋ Mixed feelings

₋ Preparation is crucial

₋ Administrative burden

₋ Should be a regular thing

Focus area: research coordinators– Main responsibilities:

– Proactively search out funding

– Grant proposal development

– Foster internal/external collaboration

– Value creation/Impact

– Clustering existing expertise:

5 SSH consortia

Mediaeval History

Global Studies

Clinical Psychology

Criminology Business models & Innovation

Focus area: research coordinators

– Consortia: – Not self-sufficient but quality of research seems to have benefitted

– Critical mass needed to deal with initiatives/ideas of research coordinator

– Coordinator:– Crucial in improving group mentality

– Insecure/uncertain position

– Different approaches by/uses of

Focus area: research evaluation– International peer review panel (3-day visit)

– Self-evaluation report: institutional data + critical reflection

Focus area: research evaluation

– Essential for feedback on institutional/faculty policy

– Much needed self-reflection

– Huge investment (e.g. need for CRIS)

– Insecurity about follow-up:

differentiate between feedback

and assessment

Thank you for listening!

Get in touch @sterretje8

Ó Research DepartmentINORMS September 2016