Professor Ebdon keynote speech: research concentration "stifles innovation"

Speaking at the UK Council for Graduate Education meeting in Oxford on 8 July, Professor Les Ebdon CBE, Chair of million+ and Vice Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire said that “there was no evidence that concentration of research works, rather it stifles innovation, the emergence of new disciplines and collaboration.”

Using an impressive array of statistics Professor Ebdon showed just how concentrated research funding had become prior to the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (90% of QR in just 39 universities) yet only half the best funded departments from the 2001 RAE remained in the top echelon in 2008.

Post-92 universities showed better gearing – generating about three times more return on every £1 of QR funding compared to Russell Group Universities.

The 2008 RAE found that excellence in research was widely spread and that there was no correlation between group size and research impact. Further evidence that ‘critical mass’ arguments are misplaced.

Professor Ebdon said: “As a scientist, I like to be evidence based and the evidence is that concentration doesn’t work. We have reached the stage in funding that if we were to further increase concentration, to make a real impact, then funding would need to be stripped not just from post-92 universities but also from the 1994 Group and two thirds of the Russell Group to fund just five so called ‘world class’ universities to satisfy the vanity of politicians.”

Professor Ebdon’s presentation (which accompanied his speech) can be read here