School of Geography and the Environment - Research Strategy

Purpose and process:

1. Recommendation (i) of The Joint Social Sciences Division (SSD) and Education Committee Review of the School of Geography and the Environment (SoGE) (reported in HT09/week 8) was that 'as a priority, the School undertakes a review of its research strategy and develops a clear vision for its research agenda once the REF parameters are clear'. In undertaking this review the School was advised to:
   • develop a comprehensive loads policy to ensure staff adequate research time;
   • consider the use of external reviewers;
   • engage a wide range of staff in the development of the revised strategy.
   The Review also advised that the strategy should:
   • encompass ECI and TSU building on research synergies wherever possible;
   • consider how the current clusters could best evolve (unrelated to teaching);
   • consider opportunities for collaboration, including international ones;
   • be used to drive staffing strategy.
2. This recommendation has been fully embraced in the School's formal response to the Review, approved by SSD Board MT09/week 7, noting that the REF parameters have still to be finalised. The 'comprehensive loads policy' exercise is being developed separately from this Strategy document and will become an addendum to it, and 'the use of external reviewers' was considered to have been satisfied by the selection of external members appointed to the Review panel.
3. The review and development of a SoGE Research Strategy has been led by the Research and Development Committee (R&DC) which has representatives from all constituent parts of the School (Geography, ECI, TSU) and all five Research Clusters. This Strategy document is the product of a collaborative process in three main stages:
   • In MT09, two consultative away-days were held to 'engage a wide range of staff in the development of the revised strategy'. The first (01/09/09), led by the Head of School, dealt with REF and contextual research matters and involved all voting members of SoGE Committee from across the School. The second (30/10/09), led by the Chair of R&DC, focussed specifically on research strategy and involved academic staff, contract research staff and doctoral students from across the School.
   • At its meeting in 4th week MT09 (item 4), the R&DC agreed to establish a set of Working Groups from amongst its membership to develop three key aspects of Research Strategy raised in away-day discussions: (i) Research Clusters and cross-cutting themes; (ii) Research mentoring and support; and (iii) Research impacts (approved by SoGE Committee MT09/7th week). These Groups reported in 9/10th week.
   • Incorporating these inputs, the Chair of R & DC has drafted a Research Strategy document for discussion and written comment in HT10, going to Executive Committee in 4th week, to R&DC in 6th week, and finally to SoGE Committee in 7th week, with a view to placing the Research Strategy document on the School's website by the end of HT10.
4. This Research Strategy document addresses short, medium and long term considerations but is designed to serve for a five year period. Its purpose is to provide a clear and concise statement of the strategic research priorities for the School as a whole (Geography, ECI and TSU) and to identify appropriate arrangements and mechanisms to support their achievement. It provides a strategic reference point for other School-wide policies and activities (e.g. academic staff appointments) and those of constituent parts of the School (e.g. mission statements).

Research Vision and Strategic aims:

There are six key elements to our research vision and strategic aims:

1. SoGE seeks to lead the international research agenda in the field of Geography across the disciplinary spectrum of environmental, social and human science activities.
   • Our aim is to grow the proportion of our research and scholarship that is recognised as 'world class' and, thereby, to retain and improve on the School's place in the top flight of UK departments in Geography and Environmental Studies for the purposes of national research assessment exercises.
2. SoGE seeks to recruit and retain the very best researchers across the spectrum of work undertaken in Geography, ECI and TSU and at all levels from Professors and Lecturers to post-doctoral fellows and contract research staff.
   • Our aim is to strengthen the connections between these constituencies and the development of a supportive research environment in the School in terms of knowledge exchange, mentoring and collaboration.
3. SoGE seeks to attract the very best research students nationally and internationally and to further enhance its provision for research training through its suite of MSc and MPhil courses.
   • Our aim is to foster a commitment to 'research apprenticeship' as a key aspect of our research culture and to strengthen the involvement of research students in the School's research community.
4. SoGE seeks to sustain and enhance the resource base for its communal research activities and for its individual researchers and scholars, even in a period of anticipated financial constraint.
   • Our aim is to improve the support for external funding bids and our internal support for seed-corn funding, enhance our development fundraising activity and to develop a workload model that enables us to support major project bid/management activities.
5. SoGE seeks to encourage national, international and interdisciplinary research collaborations across the spectrum of its work in the environmental, social and human sciences and, thereby, to enhance its research quality and profile.
   • Our aim is to develop the School's attractiveness and effectiveness as a 'research hub' by managing individual and institutional research affiliations more strategically, and establishing SoGE-wide programmes of distinguished research visitors and international research events.
6. SoGE seeks to formulate an approach to identifying and recording research impact that serves our strategic priority of promoting 'world-class' research.
   • Our aim is to enhance distinctive strengths across the School in policy work with governmental and non-governmental organisations, public engagement research practices and methods, and research communications and events promotion.

The full strategy document is available for members of the School to download from our Intranet. If you have any queries about this document please contact Jan Burke.