Transcript The Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI): An Irish Experience

The Programme for Research
in Third Level Institutions
(PRTLI):
An Irish Experience
1
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
Presentation
Focus of presentation
Brief description of PRTLI
Key Guiding Principles for recent
PRTLI Impact Assessment
The Impact Assessment Process
Closing Remarks
2
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
Evaluation
 Project level
 Programme Level
 Research System
3
 Ex-Ante
 Monitoring
 Ex-Post
 Ex-Ante
 Monitoring
 Ex-Post
 Monitoring
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
Objectives
4
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
To enable a strategic and planned
approach by third-level institutions to the
long-term development of their research
capabilities...,
so as to enhance the quality and
relevance of graduate output and skills…..
to encourage co-operation between
researchers both within the institutions
and between institutions….
5
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
SCALE / RESOURCES; €605M
PROGRAMMES (€202m)
INFRASTRUCTURE (€403m)
ALL DISCIPLINES
ENHANCED EDUCATION
PRTLI
DISTINGUISHING
FEATURES
(NDP funded)
INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGY FOCUS
COUNTERPART FUNDING
EVALUATION
6
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
Addressing National Sectoral Needs
% Total Allocation/Euros funding to date
•Biosciences/Biomedical
48% 294m
(INCL. Food and Health Science, & Neuroscience)
•Platform Technologies & Materials
14%
87m
•Environment/Marine
11%
63m
•ICT/Advanced Communications
10%
60m
•Social Science/Humanities
8%
46m
•Research Resources/Libraries
9%
54m
HEA
(INCL. Chemical & Physical sciences)
7
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
TO DATE…..
•Funding of >60 research programmes
•17 Research Centres & 1 national library
completed
33 Centres/Institutes to be established
99, 000m2 new purpose-built research space
•Human capital - approx. 450 postdocs
- approx. 1000 postgrad. students
8
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
9
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
Monitoring and Evaluation
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
PROCESSES
PRIORITISATION
STRATEGIC PLANNING
SELECTION
SPILL-OVER
INTER-INSTITUTIONAL CO-OPERATION
OUTCOMES FOR
INSTITUTIONS
TEACHING
RESEARCH
LEARNING
CHALLENGE
LEADERSHIP
RESPONSE
11
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
QUANTUM
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
INCREASE
STRENGTHENED
OUTCOMES NATIONALLY
RESEARCH CENTRES
NEW
MULTI-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
HUMAN CAPITAL
12
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
Independent International PRTLI
Impact Assessment
•Additional to ‘routine’ monitoring
•Initiated October 2003
•Five years post programme launch
•Approx. 4 years since initiation of flow
of funds
13
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
Informing Principles for Selection of
Steering Committee
 Independence of Steering Committee



International
Experience
Reputation
 Composition of Steering Committee



14
In broad terms, representation of disciplines
Geographical balance
Gender balance
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
Steering Committee
Composition
Prof. E. Banda
Secretary General ESF
Former Secretary General for
Universities and Research, Spain
Prof. R. Vihko
President of the Academy of Finland
Prof. J. Morrill
British & Irish History, Cambridge UK.
Arts and Humanities Council
Prof. L. Resnick
Prof. Of Psychology, Director of
the Institute for Learning, Univ.of
Pittsburgh, USA.
HEA
15
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
Process
 Independence

No engagement in evaluation by HEA
Executive or Authority
 Appropriate Tools



Diversity of tools
Facilitation of engagement with all
stakeholders
Horizontal and vertical probing
 Real and Meaningful Indicators



16

Programme characteristics
Stage of life cycle
Stakeholder diversity….requirements
‘Collectable’ and cost effective
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
Objectives of Assessment
 Policy
 Progress
 To address the broader policy issues including role
of PRTLI in funding of research core capacity
 To assess the progress of the programmes funded
to date
 To ascertain whether the objectives of the PRTLI
scheme are being met
 To Capture implications for future programmes
 To Capture implications for wider society
 To monitor the level of adherence to documented
 Management
plans
 To assess the administration of the programme by
the HEA executive
17
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
Scope of Assessment
Commencement of the PRTLI scheme - to
end December 2003
Snap shot at a point in time in a dynamic
process …
The heterogeneity of programmes taken into
account….
The Assessment to include many elements of
final review of Cycle 1….
Independent
Steering Committee
Secretary/
Rapporteur
Collaboration
Policy Review
Institutional
Strategy &
Management
Members of
SC
Support from Indecon
Teaching & Learning
Research
Visiting Experts
Specialists In
T&L
Visiting
Experts
Researchers
Peer review
Bibliometrics
Support from CIRCA Europe Ltd
International Economic Consultants
(Bibliometrics CWTS/Van Raan Leiden)
19
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
Research &Teaching/Learning
 Six-Monthly Report Analysis

All reports for all programmes – by
Research Consultants
 Site Visits
20

19 sites/~30 programmes

3 international experts per site visit

Tours of facilites

Interviews: Centre/Programme Director;
Heads of Department(s); Tenured
academic staff ; post-doc researchers;
post-grad students; undergraduate
students
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
Research
 Bibliometrics




21
CWTS (Leiden, Prof.
Van Raan)
Comparison of PrePRTLI and ‘during’
PRTLI
Random selection of
200 researchers from
HEA database by
CWTS
Global/broad
discipline analysis
 Peer Review




Output of Centres /
Programmes as above
Humanities, Social
Sciences Centres /
Programmes
2-7 peers : range of
papers
International context
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
Research & Teaching/Learning
Indicators
 Research

Equipment, specialised facilities etc.

Scale of Research Activities /Output
 Teaching & Learning (UG & PG)

Activity/processes

Content (Courses, format etc)
 Collaboration

22
Joint Initiatives
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
Strategy and Policy Review
 Steering Committee:



Meetings with Presidents/Directors of HEIs
(Successful and un-successful PRTLI
applicants) – on site visits
Meetings with a range of government
departments/public bodies
Meetings with leading industry figures and
representatives of industry
 Submissions from a range of
organisations
 Strategy/management Indicators and
benchmarking with pre-initiation of PRTLI;
international comparisons.
23
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas
Conclusions
………….
24
HEA
Higher Education Authority
An tÚdarás um Ard-Oideachas