Research England's David Sweeney will discuss the research, education and business connections between universities and government and offer suggestions on how these elements can be improved while remaining balanced.
OVERVIEW
Funding the teaching and learning element of universities in both the United Kingdom and Australia has become ever more contentious. In demand-driven systems, the costs to government are problematic, while universities feel price-constrained in developing the best experience for students.
At the same time our governments want to build on the research successes of universities by placing them at the heart of business growth and productivity, with expectations on institutions that further raise cost challenges.
This talk, drawing on experience at the heart of university/government engagement, will suggest some ways forward to bring universities’ relationship with government into better balance on education and research, and to manage expectations of their broader business role.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
David Sweeney (Executive Chair Designate, Research England)
David Sweeney is Executive Chair Designate of Research England, the council responsible for university research and knowledge exchange within UK Research and Innovation. UKRI is a new agency which also includes the disciplinary research councils and the innovation agency. Until April 1, 2018 he is also Director (Research and Knowledge Exchange) for the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
Research England will oversee the England-only functions in relation to research and knowledge exchange, including providing grant funding to English universities for research and knowledge exchange activities, developing and implementing the Research Excellence Framework and Knowledge Exchange Framework in partnership with the other UK Higher Education (HE) funding bodies, overseeing sustainability of the HE research base in England and managing the £900 million UK Research Partnership Investment Fund.
After gaining First Class Honours in Statistics at the University of Aberdeen, David worked at two Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) research institutes, as a consultant statistician then developing mathematical models of plant growth. His work on the computational aspects of this led into broader applications of IT in education and research, and he was Director of Information Services at Royal Holloway, University of London, before moving into university leadership as Vice-Principal (Communications, Enterprise and Research) in 2004. In this role he was responsible for research strategy and for developing Royal Holloway’s research-led commercial and consultancy activities.
He joined HEFCE in 2008 as Director, Research, Innovation and Skills and led the development and implementation of the first Research Excellence Framework, including the new impact agenda element. He is currently responsible for research policy and funding, knowledge exchange and university/business relations.
David has been invited to visit many countries to advise on research assessment and funding, particularly with respect to research impact, including working with several Australian partners including the ATN, Go8 and the ARC. David was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Aberdeen in 2012, was Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Newcastle, NSW in 2015 and is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society.