British academics have improved the quality of their research over the last 5 years, according to a new national review released this week. But the gains may cause headaches for government funders, who will be expected to reward the most improved labs with cash.
The Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE) uses expert panels to grade university departments on their work; it then uses the results to divvy up more than $1 billion in annual infrastructure funding. Higher scoring labs win more cash. This year, 64% of the reviewed work was rated of national or international excellence, up from 43% in the last review. The jump "demonstrates the value of awarding research funds selectively to reward quality," says HEFCE chief Howard Newby.
But the council now must consider whether it can feed a bigger class of ribbon winners from a fixed funding pie. It planned to meet this week to discuss options, which could include tinkering with the reward formula and asking the government for up to $240 million in new funds.
