RCUK Research Outcomes Project Goes Live

RCUK has been developing a system to collect data on outcomes from all their funded research. I highlighted it in January last year, and it's development has not been without controversy. In June last year Research Fortnight reported on disquiet within universities about the additional work that would arise from inputting data on to the system. There was also some concern about how it would fit in with or replace the MRC's existing e-Val system, which had only recently replaced the Output Data Gathering Tool (ODGT).

Anyway, it all seems to have been settled now, and we've just had word through that it is finally going to go live. Details are available here, with some FAQs here (pdf). It will be released to research offices in the week commencing 24 October 2011, to give us time to become familiar with the system, and feedback any queries or concerns to RCUK.

It will then be released to all Research Council grant holders in the week commencing 14 November 2011. The system will collect details of the following:

• Publications
• Other Research Outputs
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Exploitation
• Recognition
• Staff Development
• Further Funding
• Impact

If you have any questions about this, do get in touch with me.

ESRC Changes Final Reporting System

The ESRC has announced that it's changing its Final Report System. The Council will be contacting award holders individually (they say), but here’s the gist of the changes:

• The current requirement for a 5000 word End of Award Report has been dropped;
• In its place is a new system to collect evidence on impacts of your research.

This consists of:

• A much shorter ‘End of Award Report’, due 3 months after the end of the project;


• An ‘Impact Report’, due 12 months after the end of the project.

They insist that the new system will be ‘more economical in terms of its demand on award holders’ time’, and that ‘award-holders who report only scientific contributions will not be disadvantaged in any way in the Council's evaluation process. It will be possible to achieve the highest evaluation grades for scientific and/or practical impacts.’
More details of these changes are available here.