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Part I - Overview

Sources of further information


[i] Transparency Review of Research – Report to the Science and Engineering Base Co-ordinating Committee commissioned by the Joint Pricing and Costing Steering Group:  J M Consulting Ltd, June 1999.

[ii] web link http://www.JCPSG.ac.uk

[iii] this funding includes the Science and Research Infrastructure Fund (£500m p.a.), Quality-Related funding from the Higher Education Funding Councils  (increased from 05/06 and 07/08 by a total of £480m p.a. in England, with funds provided for proportionate/equivalent increases in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), funding from Research Councils (increased from 05/06 and 07/08 by a total of £200m p.a., with no increase in volume), and charity partnership funding (£90m p.a. from 07/08). This excludes additional income that will be receivable from better cost recovery and more appropriate pricing on Other Government Department or industrial projects.

[iv] web link Assessment of the Regulatory Burden of TRAC (by J M Consulting), March 2005.
A Regulatory Impact Assessment for fEC is also available at web link http://www.ost.gov.uk/research/dualsupport.htm

[v] the seven TRAC research sponsor groups are: institution-/own-funded research; Research Councils; OGDs; charities; EU; overseas/industry/commerce; PGR training and supervision.

[vi] Financial Reporting and Activity Costing Group report to the Higher Education Funding Councils in England, Scotland, and Wales; HEFCE 26/2003. July 2003. web linkhttp://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/circlets/2003/cl26_03.htm

[vii] Dti; the Sustainability of University Research: A consultation on reforming parts of the Dual Support System. OST, May 2003. document link http://www.ost.gov.uk/policy/universityresearch.pdf

[viii]  web link http://www.ost.gov.uk/research/dualsupport.htm - in particular the Revised Pricing Guidelines for non-Research Council projects.
Also see HM Treasury letter dated 13 February 2004: University research: Costs to government departments, available at document linkAnnex 3 of the Guidance.

[ix] pricing based on 80% of fEC is being followed by the Research Councils, the Royal Academy of Engineering, Royal Society, British Academy and the Department of Health NHS Research and Development Programme. The 80% covers all research projects funded through grant, with the exception of project studentship costs (funded at stipends plus tuition fees) and the purchase of equipment (funded at 80% up to a £50k threshold, and at 100% above this threshold). Refer for example to the Research Council funding arrangements described on: web link http://www.pparc.ac.uk/jes/DualSupport.asp

[x] Research Council schemes which were not TRAC-compliant included those which had previously paid replacement teaching costs; only paid travel and subsistence (no staff time); funded very large surveys that were sub-contracted by an institution; co-funded with industry; required a 50% contribution from the institution; funded research centres, units, and national facilities; funded knowledge transfer or services (but called it research); and so on.

[xi] document link Study of Science Research Infrastructure, undertaken by J M Consulting Ltd for the OST, December 2001.

[xii] e.g. Investing in Innovation 2002;  The Future of Higher Education 2003. The text of the Financial Memorandum for institutions in England can be found on HEFCE’s website web link www.hefce.ac.uk

[xiii] the Government’s continued commitment to the dual support system was given in ministerial letters to Heads of HE Institutions in November 2003 and January 2005; available from OST’s website web link http://www.ost.gov.uk/research/dualsupport.htm

[xiv] there was also a separate, parallel project for the non-HE part of the publicly-funded research base. The main report was entitled PSREs and the Science Base: A policy for sustainable trading and joint strategic investment in PSRE infrastructure, available at web link http://www.ost.gov.uk/research/psre_sustainability.htm

[xv] further information on managing sustainability was provided in the original TRAC Guidance Manual Volume III, replicated in document linkAnnex 4 of the Guidance. Also refer to notes from workshops on sustainability held in November/December 2004, see document linkAnnex 5 of the Guidance.

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