Concordat Strategy Group responds to the Future of Research Assessment Programme consultation

The Researcher Development Concordat Strategy Group responded to the Future of Research Assessment (FRAP) consultation, in May 2022.

The programme aims to explore the different potential approaches to the assessment of UK higher education research performance and metrics. This review has been driven by the UK government and devolved ministers and funding bodies.

The Researcher Development Concordat Strategy Group advised that the key purpose for the future research assessment should be develop the next generation of researchers. This should be achieved by building capacity and capability and shaping the research system to meet the demands of the UK’s growth of research and development. Critical to bringing the change needed is influencing the behaviours of the sector to improve research culture and the research environment and ensure that researchers are encouraged and supported in realising their potential.

Other key recommendations the group made in the consultation were for the future assessment to:

• Embed research culture in the national policy framework to incentivise good practice
• Promote and encourage commitment to concordats and agreements that support research culture
• Include emphasis on good employment practice, recruitment, status of researchers, career development support
• Support the use of narrative CVs in funding calls, recruitment and promotion
• Avoid requesting a duplication of information with other research culture related initiatives by encouraging a joined-up approach to assessment and evaluation of research culture

The programme of work will evaluate consultation responses, REF 2021 and possible models and approaches. The programme aims to reach a conclusion by late 2022.

If you’d like to know more about this consultation response or have any questions, please contact CDRsecretariat@universitiesuk.ac.uk