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EuroCRIS November 2010

Joint Information Systems Committee Supporting education and research

Joint Information Systems Committee

What’s in it for us?

A Business Case for CERIF in UK H.E.

Stuart BoltonEuroCRIS Meeting November 2010

November 2010

04/11/23 | Supporting education and research | Slide 2


Research Funders in the UK

H.E.I.HEFCE & other national Funding councils

Research CouncilsResearch Councils

Non Gov.Non Gov.


Research Structure

HEFCE and other national funding councils distribute about £1.3B annually to institutions for research. Amounts are decided by the results of the RAE/REF.

Research Councils distribute £2.8B annually for research projects. Institutions have to apply for funding. In 2008 the success rate was 23%.


Government Drivers for Change in Research Management

General trend towards greater transparency, accountability and a need for cost saving

Manifests itself in two ways for Research Management:

– Research Excellence Framework

– Shared Services/Flexible Delivery Agenda

Relying of HEFCE and other funding councils to take the agenda forward


JISC

Funded by national funding councils

JISC inspires UK colleges and universities in the innovative use of digital technologies, helping to maintain the UK’s position as a global leader in education. JISC provides:

– A world-class network - JANET

– Access to electronic resources

– New environments for learning, teaching and research

– Guidance on institutional change

– Advisory and consultancy services

– Regional support - RSCs


JISC Initiatives

JISC infoNet ‘Shared Services/Flexible Delivery’ infokit

JISC infoNet ‘ICT Implications of the Research Excellence Framework (REF)’ infokit

‘Readiness for REF’ (R4R) project

‘Research Information Management’ (RIM) Project

‘Exchanging Research Information in the UK’ project (EXRI-UK)


EXRI-UK Project

Finished end of 2009

Tasked to investigate whether there is a need for a common format for the exchange of UK research information and if so recommend what the standard should be.

Based on scenarios of who needs information, what information they need and when they need it.

Final report now published

Key recommendation that the UK adopt CERIF 2008 as a common exchange format.


EXRI-UK Business Case

Project report accepted but funding councils (HEFCE) and RCs wanted to know if there was a business case for the adoption of CERIF

June 2010 Stuart Bolton contracted to develop the business case.

Briefed that, wherever possible to concentrate on quantifiable benefits and costs. Though where they existed qualitative and reputational benefits should also be identified.


Costs

– Need to have either a CERIF compliant CRIS

• Annualized over 10 years for purchase, maintenance and R&D

• Costs vary from £10,450 – £20,880 p.a. Depending on institutional size etc.

– Or a CERIF ‘wrapper’ for your non CERIF system

• Development plus R &D

• £13,000 p.a.


Benefits

Stuck to the scenarios identified in the EXRI-UK report:

– Institution - Institution

– Institution - HEFCE

– Institution - Research Council

Major data flows:

– Research Excellence Framework (REF)

– Research Grant Applications

– Research Output Reporting

– Institutional web sites

• Academic CVs

• Personal Web Pages


Institution to Institution

Scenarios were clear but financial benefits hard to quantify.


Institution to HEFCE

EXRI identified the major interaction to be the RAE, now changed to the REF. Last RAE was 2008.

REF will probably run every five years.


Research Excellence Framework

Based calculations on its predecessor the RAE

Ran every seven years

Independent report concluded that RAE 2008 cost £1127 per academic submitted

Annualized this gives:

1127/5 = £225 per academic per year Therefore for an institution with 1,000 academics:

225*1000 = £225,000 per annum


REF Savings

EuroCRIS estimate savings of about 25% for a CERIF to CERIF interface

The institution with 1,000 submitted academics would save:

£225,000/100*25

= £56,250 p.a. All institutions know how many academics were submitted to the

RAE so can do the maths!


Institution to Research Council

EXRI identified two major interactions:

– Grant applications

– Reporting research outcomes


Grant Applications

Institutions spent £86 million in 2008 making and tracking grant applications.

In 2008 there were 11,000 applications for grants with gives an average of £6,951 per grant application.

Grant applications are made to Research Councils using the JE-S system.

EuroCRIS estimate savings of 33% for a CERIF to CERIF interface.

This gives savings of £2,317 per application.

Annual savings to institutions are:

2317* number of applications


Research Outputs

New to the UK so no existing cost estimates to compare with CERIF.

However FRIS in Belgium/Flanders has some common features and they are hoping for a 1.25% efficiency gain in year 1 rising to 5% in year 4.

If this were applied to the 42,000 researchers in UK H.E. it would realise savings of £28,350,000 in year one alone!


What are ‘savings’?

Mainly efficiency gains NOT money in the bank

– Savings in time for Researchers and administrators

– What will academics do with the extra time?

• More research?

• More time with their students?

• Go to the bar?

• Play golf?


For an Average UK HEI

Annual Activity Costs

(76*6951) + (264*225) = (534591) + (59541)

= £594,132

Annual Savings

(76*2317) + (264*56) = £ 175,262

Average annual cost of a CERIF CRIS

= £15,665.

This would give net annual savings of

£159,597 p.a.


Full report available from:

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/reports/2010/businesscasefinalreport.aspx

OR Google

‘CERIF Business Case’


Thank You

Any Questions?

Stuart Boltonemail: [email protected]

tel: +44113 2672589

Mobile: +447903 344634

website: www.stuartbolton.com

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