All entries for Friday 23 October 2009

UCU Petition: HEFCE wants to fund commercial research!

Writing about web page http://www.ucu.org.uk/standupforresearch

Just had an email from Warwick's UCU. Apparently HEFCE wants to target a quarter of its funding at research that demonstrates commercial market value. Yuh, and I'm a poet, and as David Morley is so fond of saying, "Poetry is the opposite of money." Wonder where that puts literary criticism about poetry?

This from Sally Hunt, General Secretary for UCU:

STAND UP FOR RESEARCH

Please join the six UK Nobel Laureates and many other leading academics who have already signed UCU's statement opposing proposals from HEFCE to change funding criteria. 

To sign click: http://www.ucu.org.uk/standupforresearch

If implemented, the proposals would mean that 25% of future research funding would be allocated according to its ‘economic and social impact’. 

HEFCE has put these proposals out to consultation and the deadline for submissions is 16 December.

The UCU believes that these ‘impact’ proposals represent an attack on the knowledge process and constitute a threat to the existence of basic research activity in the UK. 

Our statement calls on HEFCE to withdraw these proposals. We intend to submit this statement to the funding council and to publish the list of names.

It is already abundantly clear that these proposals do not have the support of the academic community. 

We need every member to sign this statement and to then pass on the link to colleagues to ensure that the voice of the profession is heard.

Please add your name to the list here and circulate this link among your colleagues:

http://www.ucu.org.uk/standupforresearch

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And this from the introduction to the petition:

The latest proposal by the higher education funding councils is for 25% of the new Research Excellence Framework (REF) to be assessed according to 'economic and social impact'. As academics, researchers and higher education professionals we believe that it is counterproductive to make funding for the best research conditional on its perceived economic and social benefits.

George Ttoouli : 23 Oct 2009 12:59 |  Tags: Capitalists Taking Over Academic Research David Morley Poetry Is The Opposite Of Money Ucu |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem