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Research Centre guidelines

General

1. A University Centre is formally established or disestablished by the University Research Committee on the recommendation of a Board of Studies. Particular attention will be paid to the title of the Centre and alternative titles, such as Institute, will not normally be acceptable.

2. Each Centre is attached to a ‘home’ Department and reports to the relevant Board of Studies through its Director, who will normally be based in the ‘home’ Department. In the case of interdisciplinary Centres, a Deputy Director from another Department may also be appointed. In the case of cross-Faculty centres, responsibility will lie with the Faculty in which the Director is located.

3. All Research Centres are subject to review by the appropriate Board of Studies, reporting to Research Committee, either on a three-year cycle or upon the Director’s retirement or resignation from the University. Other Centres are subject to periodic review by the relevant Board of Studies. In the case of cross-Faculty centres, the review will be undertaken by the Faculty Board of Studies in which the Director is located.

Establishment of University Research Centres

4. The main justification for the creation of a University Research Centre is that of bringing together individuals with complementary interests, sometimes from different Faculties, so as to create a focus for joint research, for seeking funding, for industrial collaboration and for research exploitation. There must be proven expertise in the University and the work should be potentially at least of national significance with the focus on international recognition. It should be demonstrated that the creation of a Centre will add value to the normal research activities of its individual members.

5. A proposal to establish a University Research Centre should include reference to:

   1. aims of the Centre and an analysis of the advantage to be gained from its creation;

   2. academic staff to be associated with the Centre (the minimum number of staff associated with a Centre may depend to some extent on the nature of the discipline, and comparisons with competitor institutions may be helpful);

   3. current profile of relevant research activity, including lists of publications and research awards;

   4. potential for further research activity;

   5. current industrial collaboration arrangements;

   6. current links with other national and international institutions;

   7. development plan for the initial three years, including performance data/metrics suitable for review in three years’ time;

   8. funding arrangements, with specific reference to the financial relationship between the Centre and the participating Department(s): a Research Centre with significant income and expenditure is required to disaggregate its financial accounts from those of the participating Department(s).

Review of University Research Centres

6. The review of a Centre will be conducted by the appropriate Board of Studies and will be based on a report provided by the Centre Director, submitted on a standard template (download in Word or PDF format), with the following section headings:

   1. Director's Executive summary, including supporting comments from the Head of Department.

   2. Data sheet

   3. Performance over the period of review

   4. Metrics for the next period (3 years)

   5. Further detail on data provided in Section 2.
      (Examples of performance indicators and metrics which may be used by Directors in their reports are provided in the template.)

   The outcomes of the Board of Studies discussions will be transmitted to the University Research Committee for approval.

Management of Interdisciplinary Research Centres

7. The following arrangements apply to the management of interdisciplinary Research Centres:
   • The Centre should have a Management Board, chaired by the Director, which should be broadly representative of the Departments from which the Centre’s members are drawn.
   • The Management Board should consider such matters as the attribution of research income and publications and other forms of output and make recommendations to the Heads of appropriate Departments.
   • The Centre’s finances should be located within one Department but should be managed such that all financial transactions relating to the Centre can be readily identified. Research income generated by the Centre should be credited to the appropriate Departments as determined by the Management Board, similarly any overheads earned by the Centre should be apportioned to the appropriate Departments.
   • The proportional attribution of any research output (such as research papers, technical reports, computer software patents and similar material) should be recommended by the Management Board according to the basis of funding.
   • The positions of Director and Deputy Director should normally rotate on a three-year cycle, but the Management Board may vary the terms as and when appropriate
   • The title of Institute is normally reserved for a body supporting interdisciplinary teaching and research, and for multi-function graduate units.