The pilot exercise, taking place in academic year 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026, is the first step to increase transparency and understanding of the value this funding delivers across the sector.
Evidence isn’t available on how funding allocations are used
Quality-related research funding and other types of strategic institutional research funding distributed by Research England can be used flexibly by providers, but evidence isn’t readily available on how higher education providers (HEPs) strategically use their allocations.
Therefore, the pilot will meet a key commitment within Research England’s 2022 to 2025 strategic delivery plan to gather evidence on how SIRF is used by English HEPs.
It also contributes to addressing a recommendation from Sir Paul Nurse’s 2021 independent review into the research, development and innovation organisational landscape to provide more transparency around how the funding is used by universities.
This work will also help address conclusions by both the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee that UK Research and Innovation needs better data to be able to identify where its resources are being spent.
Opportunity to co-develop new monitoring process
This evidence-gathering exercise offers HEPs the opportunity to work with Research England to shape the new monitoring process.
Over the course of the pilot, HEPs will be requested to complete a questionnaire that details how its SIRF has been used across the institution, with the opportunity to describe examples.
The questionnaire has been designed through community testing with HEPs earlier this year.
There will be opportunities throughout the pilot for ongoing dialogue with Research England on its design to minimise the administrative burden.
Strengthening the case for SIRF
The data collected will be used to strengthen the case for SIRF to government.
On completion of the pilot, Research England will determine how and when the new process will be rolled out to all English HEPs annually to obtain better data and insights about SIRF.
Ensuring alignment with the government’s vision for higher education
This is the first phase of a programme of work to develop a better understanding of how universities allocate their SIRF and how they make strategic decisions about its use.
Research England’s future vision is to seek more information from institutions about their research strategies and to encourage the development of these where they are not already in place.
The transparency pilot process and real time review exercise will be used to develop and test plans for phase two of the Transparency Programme and ensure it aligns with the government’s vision for higher education.
Provide invaluable insights
Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Executive Chair for Research England, said:
The higher education sector is under increasing financial pressure, and demonstrating the value and importance of Research England’s strategic institutional funding in underpinning research and innovation in universities is ever more important.
I strongly encourage all universities to participate in this important pilot as it will provide invaluable insights across the whole range of institutions we fund into how our Transparency Programme should be implemented for future years.
Further information
See details of the review into SIRF.
The vision for phase two of the Transparency Programme is to work with the sector to identify a range of strategic approaches to SIRF taken by providers.
This phase of the Transparency Programme will provide evidence on how flexible formula-based funds enable HEPs to:
- deliver their institutional strategies
- address important challenges
- create impact and value from public investment that contributes to the research system, wider economy and society
