Terminology
Academic
Principal Investigators, Co-investigators and Research Fellows/Assistants/Associates
Funder
Provider of money or other contribution towards a University research project
Infrastructure
Physical assets (including buildings), people, and intellectual capital
QR resource
QR stands for Quality related research funding - the name given to the research funding stream allocated by HEFCE. This funding is aimed at supporting Universities' basic research capability and is distributed on a formula basis, driven principally by the ratings of University departments in the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).
QR enables Universities to have the freedom to pursue a certain amount of pure blue skies research, and also make proposals for research project funding from the Research Councils.
Researcher
Someone who will make a significant intellectual contribution to a research project. Typically such a person would be qualified to carry out independent or supervised research, might provide an academic lead for research, or could provide expert advice to a research project. A researcher has a thorough understanding of what they are doing, can interpret results and devise appropriate ways forward (rather than, for example, carrying out a set of routine operations under carefully supervised conditions).
These will normally be staff on academic or researcher grades although they may include staff on other grades where the individual is acting as a researcher. Examples of the latter include research nurses, high-grade technical staff who act in the capacity of a researcher, data managers who have a major role in structuring the data analysis.
Research Project
An activity that is considered to be a separately fundable piece of research. It includes for example, research grants and contracts, Programme grants, Centre grants and Fellowships.
Sponsor
Responsible for research governance issues relating to Management, Regulatory approval, Reporting incidents, liaison with NHS and dealing with honorary contracts
Sustainability
An institution is being managed on a sustainable basis if, taking one year with another, it is recovering its full economic cost across its activities as a whole and is investing in its research infrastructure at a rate adequate to maintain its future productive capacity appropriate to the needs of its strategic plan and students, sponsors and other customer requirements. |