It is part of a new policy briefing by MillionPlus, the group of modern universities, which argues against what it claims is a “hyper-concentration” of resources in large research-intensive institutions. Just three universities receive a quarter of the total QR funding, the briefing finds.
“By and large, historic reputation has been taken as an indicator of future success, and a?protection of the status quo has reigned supreme,” argues the briefing, released on 8?September.
The tussle between MillionPlus and the Russell Group is part of a wider debate over how research funding should be distributed across universities. Earlier this year, a report by the consultancy Digital Science and the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex argued that concentration of funds into “elite” universities risks leaving a country unable to seize on emerging areas of research.
However, Germany, for example, has since 2006 poured extra money into a few select universities to boost them to the top of the global research league.
Source: Is Science and Research Funding in Higher Education Meeting the Challenges of the 21st Century?
Print headline: Big portions: how Russell Group dominates research funding