Research strategies and policies
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Departments/universities need an accessible research strategy with polices and guidelines to support its implementation Electronic research management support systems are needed to track proposals and projects and to document research income and disbursement including overheads
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Institutional support services and infrastructure
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Lack of research support offices and/or insufficient coordination between departments and university levels Inadequate resourcing and lack of clarity about the role and long-term financial sustainability of research support offices Research laboratory facilities are not accredited and lack overarching planning to harmonise equipment purchase and maintenance across multiple short-term projects Unclear relationship between hard copy library facilities and increasing use of e-resources
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The roles and relationships between university-level research coordination and research support offices at faculty or college level need to be clarified The strategy for research support offices at faculty or college level needs to be clarified and mechanisms found for long-term sustainability and buy-in by the researchers Achieve international laboratory accreditation for the institution’s own laboratories; harmonise research laboratories’ activities with those of affiliated organisations and establish clear processes and costs for researchers wishing to access these facilities Proactively plan the future of book libraries in the context of the shift to increasing use of e-resources, including their possible integration with information and communication technology (ICT) facilities
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Supporting funding applications
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Set up mechanisms for timely, multidisciplinary (eg, finance, legal, ICT, laboratory, library, procurement) input into proposal development Set up a formal process for quality assurance and authorisation of proposals before submission and for tracking the outcome of submissions
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Project management and control
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Senior researchers spend a substantial proportion of time on administrative, procurement and other issues that could be more effectively taken on by non-academic professional staff Lack of systems for tracking financial spend against budget for projects risks underspend or overspend Unclear lines of responsibility between researchers and finance officers regarding financial tracking and reporting
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Establish an electronic research information system to systematically manage and track all aspects each project including the project agreement, protocol, budgets, funding requirements, accounting and audit, and to maximise recoupment of overheads Establish a formal project approval process for successful applications, including and contract review and sign off Encourage researchers to include and budget for experienced administrators to help reduce the time they spend on project administration and to actively include other relevant inputs such as procurement expertise Provide joint training in financial management for researchers and finance officers and increase clarity and understanding about their various roles and responsibilities in relation to each other, the institution and the research funders
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Human resource management for research
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Lack of clarity on contractual arrangements, and therefore institutional responsibility, for short-term project staff Poorly defined, or non-existent, career paths for non-academic professionals such as ICT, library and administrative staff No formal postdoctoral career posts for researchers
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Strengthen human resource skills and structures so that they can better support researchers and research projects, and to ensure that project staff are university employees with access to the protection and facilities of the institution where this is not currently the case Formalise career tracks for research support staff Formal postdoctoral training programmes need to be established to develop and retain talented researchers
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Human resource development for research
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No coordinated, institutionalised programmes for induction or research skills training for researchers; reliance on projects to provide training means focus is on technical skills rather than generic skills, such as leadership and research communication Training offered at university level (eg, computer skills, literature searching) poorly publicised and used by researchers
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Provide a formal induction programme and training needs assessment for new research staff Establish an institutional programme of skills training for researchers, possibly through a dedicated unit, that includes non-technical skills such as leadership, supervision and project management Improve incorporation of existing training opportunities (eg, provided by library and ICT staff) into a core skills training programme for researchers
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External promotion of research
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Review research section of universities’ website to ensure information is current and that hyperlinks are working Consider setting up a unit specifically to enhance the visibility of institutional and/or departmental research activities and outputs Provide training in research communication to improve researchers’ ability to write ‘jargon-free’ communications such as press releases and policy briefs
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National research engagement
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Explore options for improving researchers’ ability to impact on national health research priorities and practices Universities and departments should systematically document and showcase national and international uptake and use of the research findings they have generated
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