How does practice research fit into HEFCE’s future research policy? Dr Steven Hill Head of Research Policy Goldsmiths, University of London 4 June 2015

£1,558m per year HEFCE’s role in supporting research We fund excellence wherever it is found. All forms and modes of research are equally important. Our quality-related research (QR) funding allows institutions to support pure and open-ended research endeavours. QR funds research right across the disciplines. Some consider it “the single most significant investment into the arts in the UK”. £1,558m per year

Practice research in REF2014 Found in two UOAs in particular: UOA 34: Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory UOA 35: Music, Drama, Dance and Performing Arts “The sector has been a pioneer and supporter of practice-based research through previous RAEs, and the increasing quantity and quality of practice-based research in REF2014 confirms that the sector is a leader in this mode of research activity.” Clear strengths for practice in live art, music performance, photography and digital design Significant interdisciplinary and external impact is clear, especially in design, crafts and music

Scholarly communication reform The changing context of research Funding Impact Research Changing culture Scholarly communication reform

Funding and accountability environment Constrained funding – real-terms cuts Global context of research: competition, collaboration, industry Major national policy focus on science, industry, skills, technology Public funding decisions depend on evaluation of clear outcomes

Impact in the REF For the first time, REF2014 also considered the impact of UK research Impact = “an effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia” Case studies show impact of research is global UOA34+35: impacts across communities, on public engagement, in museums, media, music, dance, performance, arts and culture UOA34+35 have unusually high impact in China and Brazil

Impact – a variety of competing needs Need to recognise the significant impact of creative and practice research Need to maximise the return on public investment in research Need a balance between application and transfer vs. knowledge generation and practice for their own sake Need to recognise the complex interaction between public engagement, research communication and impact

Scholarly communications Research is a global endeavour: findings should be communicated as widely as possible Open access is ‘coming of age’ – policies, business models, technologies An epochal shift due to Internet technologies is changing expectations. ‘Publish or perish’ – a cultural obsession with text?

How does practice research fit into this? Practice-based insight is often communicated through experiences Knowledge clusters more around people, events and communities (less around information technologies and publication venues) Place, not publishing venue, nurtures and sustains research narratives Practice research has a complex relationship with ephemerality

What did people submit to REF panels with a practice research element? A huge variety of interesting outputs! Compositions, performances, artefacts, designs, media… …installations, workshops, clothing, video tours… …‘Spoonness’… But submission still dominated by text-based outputs Trend since 2008 is towards more books/journals and fewer non-text outputs.

Key questions for policymakers How do we ensure that the strong position of practice research in the UK is sustained? How should we recognise and reward the impact of practice research in future? How can we support the effective communication of practice research findings in a digital age? How can diversity and interdisciplinarity be recognised and nurtured? How do we ensure that opportunities are seized?

Final thoughts… Whatever its ultimate utility, research is a fundamentally creative endeavour But in a constrained funding environment, demonstrating return on investment is increasingly important Effective research communication is a key challenge for all disciplines… …but different disciplines may require different assumptions Building a funding and evaluation system that works effectively for practice research is the responsibility of all of us.

Thank you for listening s.hill@hefce.ac.uk