The Research Councils today publish a report that shows the UK research base to be vibrant and successful with increasing staff and student numbers in many academic disciplines. However, it also highlights the problems being faced in a number of areas where there are falling student numbers, ageing staff profiles and recruitment and retention issues.
The Health of Disciplines: Annual Report 2006 has found that overall staffing levels and student numbers across all academic disciplines rose by 15 per cent between 1995/96 and 2003/04. Information sciences, subjects allied to medical science, computer science and creative arts and design all showed considerable increases in staff numbers in the period. Overall undergraduate numbers increased by 16 per cent and almost all subjects saw the number of doctorates awarded increase in the same period.
However, the report identifies 12 disciplines and research areas with issues that need to be addressed, including critical underpinning subjects such as economics, engineering, physical sciences and mathematics. It identifies a significant risk to the UK research base and economic productivity from the shortage but explains how the eight Research Councils and their partners are working to improve the situation.
Despite efforts from the Research Councils, Funding Councils and Government there remain some persistent problems: student numbers in engineering, mathematics and the physical sciences have not kept up with the growth in other disciplines; over half the permanent academic staff in mathematics and education are aged over 50, as are over 40 per cent of the academics in economics; and the number of academic staff in building/architecture, chemistry, engineering/technology, mathematical sciences, physics, and veterinary sciences all declined between 1995/96 and 2003/04. The Research Councils are particularly concerned by the increasing average age of social science researchers as high numbers are approaching retirement and the practice based nature of some social science disciplines means it is harder to recruit younger researchers.
The report is the result of a year of work by the Research Councils in conjunction with the Funding Councils through the UK Research Base Funders’ Forum and involves input from other bodies including the Universities and Colleges Employers’ Association. It provides measurement standards for the health of disciplines: numbers of academic staff, age of staff, student numbers, recruitment and retention and competition from the private sector. It is published on the same day that a Government economics paper analysing the supply and demand of science, engineering and technology (SET) skills in Britain shows that three quarters of a million more people have SET degrees today than in 1997. The paper also shows that SET passes at A-level, as a proportion of overall results, has declined, especially in mathematics.
The excellent employment prospects in the private sector for some researchers also pose a problem for the academic research base. The pharmaceutical, environmental, physical and social sectors are all drawing researchers away from academia. The report found career paths in academia to still be ill-defined.
Professor Ian Diamond, Chair of the Research Councils UK (RCUK), the strategic partnership of the eight Research Councils, commented: "Shortages of talented researchers in key areas present a serious drag on the competitiveness of the UK research base. For example the Diamond Light Source, a £500 million project in Oxfordshire, has faced major problems in recruiting skilled engineers. This situation must be addressed."
Professor Diamond explained, "The report highlights how we are working with stakeholders to address these issues. The Research Councils are moving the supply of skilled researchers onto a more sustainable footing. We are recruiting students into shortage areas and improving careers paths for academics and finally funding the Full Economic Cost of research."
Research Councils’ initiatives to support key disciplines necessarily involve collaboration with partner organisations. Examples include:
- EPSRC has worked with the Funding Councils to develop the Science and Innovation Awards programme at a value of £46 million, to enable universities to redress and enhance capacity by fostering research groups in important areas of national need within the Council’s remit.
- BBSRC and MRC have worked with the Funding Councils and the pharmaceutical industry to establish an £11 million fund to build capacity in integrated mammalian biology.
- AHRC and ESRC with HEFCE launched a £20 million initiative to develop world-class researchers with language skills to perform research to help the UK’s understanding of the Arabic World, China, Japan and Eastern Europe.
- Research Councils have increased stipends for studentships in critical areas.
- CCLRC, EPSRC, HEFCE and key Higher Education Institutions are working in partnership to address the shortage of PhD students from across the disciplines who are trained as ‘expert users’ on large facilities.
- ESRC are working with HEFCE to improve the supply of researchers with skills in quantitative methods in social scientists.
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Contact
Matt Goode, Research Councils UK
Tel: 01793 413299
Notes to Editors
The disciplines of concern to the Research Councils and Funding Councils are:
| Subject |
Area of concern |
| Economics |
A comparatively high proportion of staff in the older age groups; competition with the private sector is affecting recruitment and retention. |
| Engineering |
Staff numbers are falling, as is the number of undergraduates. This has become business critical in some areas; for example, the Diamond Light Source has had difficulty recruiting of engineers. |
| Physical sciences (particularly physics and chemistry) |
Similar problems to engineering in terms of numbers, and the problem is acute as these disciplines underpin a number of others. |
| Mathematics |
Particularly where it underpins other research areas, e.g. mathematical biology; quantitative methods in the social sciences. |
| Modern languages and linguistics |
These subjects have been identified by HEFCE as strategically important and vulnerable. High proportion of staff aged over 55; lower than average ratios of senior lecturers to professors and lecturers to senior researchers. |
| Socio-legal studies |
Practice based area, hence staff acquire hands on experience before taking up academic posts and therefore are usually older, often lack in depth research training, and demand a higher salary. |
| In vivo mammalian physiology |
Recruitment difficulties in this area have been apparent for some time, and it was identified as giving rise for concern in the recent ABPI report. |
| Clinical and translational research |
Numbers of students are increasing but there is still no overall improvement in this area. |
| Public health research |
While there are some signs of recovery, overall numbers remain low. |
| Social work |
Very high proportion of staff in the older age groups; practice based discipline. |
| Veterinary sciences |
Numbers are falling, and while a significant proportion of staff have retired in recent years, there is no corresponding increase in younger staff. |
| Land-based research |
This area is important to a number of Government departments and has been identified by HEFCE as a strategically important and vulnerable subject. |
The report considers both supply and demand side issues from the Research Council perspective. An analysis of the numbers of academic staff, age profiles of staff, numbers of undergraduates and numbers of doctorates from 1995/96 to 2003/04 is presented alongside a recent survey (2005) of recruitment and retention difficulties in UK higher education institutions (HEIs). An overview of the demand side considers the findings of recent reports, such as the 2005 ABPI report, and key areas identified by the Research Councils.
About Research Councils UK
The eight Research Councils are independent non-departmental public bodies, funded by the Science Budget through the Office of Science and Technology. They are incorporated by Royal Charter and together manage a research budget of over £2.5 billion a year.
Research Councils UK (RCUK) is the partnership between the UK's eight Research Councils. Through RCUK, the Research Councils work together to champion the research, training and innovation they support. The Research Councils are independent non-departmental public bodies, funded by the Science Budget through the Office of Science and Technology.
RCUK was created to increase the collective visibility, leadership and policy influence of the Research Councils; to stimulate multi-disciplinary research that encourages collaboration; to provide a single focus for collective dialogue with stakeholders and to encourage greater harmonisation of internal operations.
The partnership is led by the RCUK Executive Group, which meets monthly and comprises the chief executives of the eight Research Councils. The Group is currently chaired by Professor Ian Diamond, Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council.
The eight UK Research Councils are:
- Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC);
- Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC);
- Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC);
- Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC);
- Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC);
- Medical Research Council (MRC);
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC);
- Particle Physics & Astronomy Research Council (PPARC).