Exploring the value of QR in supporting researcher-scale activities: Development of methods and a case study of the University of Cambridge

Research at universities in the UK is funded through a system of dual support: response-mode grants fund specific projects; and a block grant (Quality-related Research funding, QR) is awarded to institutions to spend at their own discretion. How QR funding contributes to research has rarely been studied and consequently, this project explored some of the ways that QR supports the research of individual researchers and using the University of Cambridge as a pilot case. We used qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate a number of aspects of academic life that could be linked to QR including sabbaticals; publications which lack external funding acknowledgements or links to grants; seed grant schemes; and salary support which bridges researchers between fixed term contracts. All methods – used and attempted – are described and accompanied by a set of reflections for further evaluations of QR’s impact at other institutions. We found that QR makes many contributions to the research environment across all disciplines supporting the conception and incubation of new ideas. Furthermore, QR can support the entire research endeavour in more theory-based disciplines such as the Arts, Humanities, Mathematics, Computer Science, as well as pockets of other fields where project costs are lower.Research Englan

Research data supporting [How academic sabbaticals are used and how they contribute to research – a small-scale study of the University of Cambridge]

Three sets of data: Publication volume by month by type of publication and month after sabbatical start date - data on University of Cambridge researchers 2010-2021; Prevalence of researchers post-sabbatical start, by month (a measure of frequency of sabbaticals); and the list of 194 articles screened for the literature review

How academic sabbaticals are used and how they contribute to research - a small-scale study of the University of Cambridge using interviews and analysis of administrative data.

Background: Academic sabbaticals are seen as an important aspect of academic life and require considerable resources, however, little research has been done into how they are used and whether their effects can be measured. We explored these issues at the University of Cambridge. Methods: A mixed method approach including 24 interviews with academics, eight interviews with administrators; alongside analysis of administrative and publication data between 2010 and 2019. Results: Academics underline the importance of sabbaticals in providing uninterrupted time for research that is used to think, explore new ideas, master new techniques, develop new collaborations, draw together previous work, set work in a wider context, and provide personal discretion in research direction. They also highlight sabbaticals' contributions in allowing the beneficial effects of combining teaching and research, while mitigating some of the disadvantages. However, it is difficult to detect the effect of sabbaticals on publications using a time series approach. Conclusions: Sabbaticals provide manifold contributions to academic research at the University of Cambridge; however, detecting and quantifying this contribution, and extending these findings requires wider and more detailed investigation

Exploring the use of Résumé for Research and Innovation Narrative CVs in live postdoc recruitments

Research data supporting the manuscript titled: Exploring the use of Résumé for Research and Innovation Narrative CVs in live postdoc recruitment