Cardiff University made the decision to slice staff’s yearly allocated research hours in half at the start of this academic year, from around 600 to just 315 annually. Since Russell Group universities’ prestigious standing is based on its output of influential research, with Russell Group Universities receiving X% of the UK’s yearly private research funding for tertiary education, the question being asked by staff and students alike is, how will this impact that? Could Cardiff lose its Russell Group classification?
A statement released claims:
“Cardiff University’s academic delivery model ensures a baseline of 315 university-funded hours for research (from a total of 1500 hours across all activities), with scope for additional allocations according to strategic priorities and available capacity. Externally funded research time is added on top of the 315 hours. 315 is the absolute minimum research hours. This recognises the importance of research within academic roles, giving staff dedicated time to pursue their research and enabling further flexibility where strategic needs and capacity allow.”
Despite claiming that 315 hours is the "absolute minimum", according to academic staff members, the only way to surpass this number of hours is to apply for a sabbatical. This means forfeiting either a teaching term or a year to focus on research, work on projects in their own unpaid time, or to find external grants to extend research funding and thus be able to complete more hours. Some academic staff members called this decision “upsetting”, and said they felt short-changed by the university.
This decision not only raises questions about Cardiff University’s commitment to supporting their staff in producing innovative research, but also whether they value Cardiff’s status as a Russell Group institution. The Russell Group is a self-selecting association of public research universities established in 1994. Universities can only join by applying or being asked to join by universities already in the group. Cardiff became a Russell Group institution in 1998.
There is no clear set of criteria that a uuniversity must have to be a russell group university. But their main focus, according to a blog post titled ‘What is a Russell Group university?’ available on Cardiff University’s International Study Centre website, is leading academic research and innovation. The page cites some of the benefits of studying at a Russell Group institution, stating that:
“Russell Group universities offer world-class research led by academics who involve students in their own work so you can learn by practice. [...] The benefits of studying alongside academics with Russell Group-level expertise [...] is that the Group collaborates to win research funding, which not only develops the universities’ reputation, but also increases the chances of further funding in the future. The more high-profile research your university publishes, the greater the reputation for both the university and you. By learning from academics who work on high-profile research, you will benefit from their experience as well as insight into research methods and existing theories”.
The blog also states that "by choosing a Russell Group university [students] will be taught by academics who work on high-profile research, benefitting from their experience. Russell Group universities are considered to be some of the top in the world and focus their values on research and working to create stronger communities and ideas for the future". With this being a major selling point for both the university and its home and international students, along with being a clearly identified core value, people within Cardiff University’s community cannot help but wonder what drove the decision to reduce academic staff’s ability to meet these expectations.