JISC

Summary

Coventry University has a major aim to develop its Applied Research (AR) activity. AR is broadly defined to include translational activity, knowledge transfer and CPD, and pedagogical research in addition to the discipline-based enquiry which has been the core of the university’s research output for many years. This aim is accompanied by targets which would see, if achieved, 90% of academic staff being AR active and a growth of AR income from under 5% of turnover to over 30%.

Clearly, such growth will need to be supported by systems which are fit-for-purpose in both scale and scope; AR activity will not only be at a much higher volume than in the past, it will also be far more diverse. Systems, structures and policies to support AR will need to embrace incentives and rewards, staff development, research information and communication, project management, financial monitoring and recording, time management and quality assurance. The university’s IT systems will need to be developed to support AR growth at a strategic as well as an operational level. There will also need to be a major programme of systems integration as well as specific AR system development.

The university has already undertaken a mapping exercise to understand current processes and identify areas where additional development needs to be undertaken. Use of the Strategic ICT Toolkit and engagement in the testing and development programme will provide a framework to help us evaluate where we are in this process and to deepen our awareness of where we need to be. In particular we need to use IT in a much more strategic way to support our considerable AR ambitions. This understanding will be an invaluable input into preparing a business case for additional investment in IT support.

Objective

The project objectives are to:

• Develop a sophisticated institutional awareness of the strategic role of IT in promoting AR development and growth
• Provide  an opportunity for the university to gain experience in using the SICT toolkit both in the specific context of AR but also appreciate its potential for wider application
• Contribute to the SICT programme by providing a use case study
• Establish a business case for and help structure an IT development progamme to support AR the achievement of AR targets

Anticipated Outputs and Outcomes

The anticipated outputs and outcomes are:

• A user case study of the SICT toolkit to inform both toolkit development and the future university IT planning
• An enhanced development plan for IT support systems for AR
• Increased institutional awareness of its level of IT maturity
• More effective and efficient support for AR practitioners