Research Quality Framework
LATEST UPDATE - 19 September 2007
The Union has produced the "Understanding and Surviving the Research Quality Framework" guide. To download a copy of it click here
Tuesday, September 18
The Department of Education, Science and Training has made two important announcements in the last 24 hours.
Firstly, the Department has announced the membership of each of the Assessment Panels. The members of the 13 Assessment Panel, and their biographies, can be found here
The other important announcement refers to the Framework's Submission Specifications and Technical Specifications being released. To download the RQF Submission Specifications and the Technical Specifications visit the DEST RQF website
The Union has updated its Research Quality Framework Frequently Asked Questions leaflet. It is now available to download at RQF FAQ 2007
The Chairs for the 13 Assessment Panels have now been announced. You can download their biographies by clicking here
Federal Education Minister Bishop announced on 20 February (2007) the membership of the RQF Reference Committee. The members of the Committee are:
Chair - Leanne Harvey (DEST)
Dr Evan Arthur (DEST)
Prof Andrew Glenn (UTas)
Dr Phil Clark (Business Council of Australia)
Prof David Siddle (UQ)
Dr Campbell Thomson (UWA)
Prof Andris Stelbovics (Murdoch)
Prof Tom Cochrane (QUT)
Prof Elizabeth Harman (VU)
Prof Neil Furlong (RMIT)
Prof Margaret Sheil (UoW)
Ms Veronica Arbon (University of Adelaide)
For biographies of the RQF Reference Committee's members click here
On November 14 (2006), the Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop released a media statement stating that the Government had endorsed the model for the proposed Research Quality Framework (RQF) recommended by the RQF Development Advisory Group (DAG), for implementation in 2007.
The Union will be actively monitoring the RQF and will regularly update this page.
The DAG’s recommended version of the RQF is available click here. The NTEU’s media statement on the RQF model is also available from this page - click here.
As part of its work on the RQF, the National Office is collecting information from NTEU Branches regarding any preparation or “trial” research assessment audits that institutions have undertaken in preparation for the implementation of RQF, and the implications for the industrial and professional rights of university staff.
Please advise the NTEU National Office of what is happening in this regard at universities and forward copies of any documentation that are available. Some universities have already undertaken mock RQF audits however it is important to
In particular send information on:
- The nature and extent of any “trial” research assessment activities that have been undertaken at universities,
- How the assessments are being organized, including the involvement, if any, of staff in the design and implementation of these activities;
- Proposals to classify academics as research active/ inactive;
- Re-allocation of teaching loads based on the assessment of research activity/inactivity;
- How assessments are being made regarding cross discipline, cross university and Indigenous research.
Please forward information to Sam Maynard in the Industrial Unit by the end of January 2007.
Important RQF Dates to Note
Research Assessment Period: 1 Jan 2001 to 31 Dec 2006
Staff Census Date: 31 March 2007
Institutional Submissions Deadline: 30 April 2008
Assessment Phase: July/August 2008
Ministerial approval and announcements: November 2008
Funding Outcomes: 1 January 2009
Need more information?
Contact Andrew
Nette or Paul Kniest on (03) 9254 1910
Scroll down to read about the Union's existing work on the RQF and additional materials about the RQF.
The RQF was announced as part of the Federal Government’s Backing Australia’s Ability II package in May 2004.
What is the RQF?
There are broadly four strands to the RQF process:
- Measuring quality of all taxpayer funded research, with the initial focus being on that research carried out in universities and publicly funded research agencies such as the CSIRO.
- Measuring the ‘impact’ of publicly funded research, firstly within the academic community and, secondly, with ‘end users’ such as the public and business. This may include looking at the economic, social and environmental benefits of research in the wider community.
- Measuring the quality of postgraduate research education and training.
- Examining accessibility issues in relation to taxpayer-funded research, i.e., issues relating to shared infrastructure, ICT, libraries and the accessibility of research results, etc.
The then Education Minister, Brendan Nelson, made it clear in an address at the National Press Club, that the RQF will be used as the basis for decisions in relation to the allocation of research funding to universities (although it is not clear whether this will involve substantive new funds or the reallocation of existing funds).
The latest on the RQF
The here
What is the NTEU doing about the RQF?
The RQF will have major implications for NTEU members and obviously the National Office intends to be heavily involved in the consultation process leading up to its formulation.
The NTEU has been an active participant in the debate surrounding the RQF, and its implications, as well as the outstanding issues that have been identified and not yet adequately addressed. The latest information and publications produced by the NTEU can be found on this page.
To further support the work of the Union, a Research Conference was held over May 17 & 18. The conference, entitled Universities and the New Research Environment, brought people actively involved with the RQF at their institutions, to Melbourne to discuss and debate the professional, industrial and academic issues of the RQF. Details from the Conference are now available in the ‘members only’ section. A summary of the outcomes from the Conference are available here. Please note you will have to log on to access this information.
Members are encouraged to assist and facilitate this work by establishing Branch Research Committees and using this as a conduit to feed information about what is happening at their institution back to the National Office to ensure that we have a clear picture of what is happening across all institutions. The Committee needs to comprise members with expertise in RQF and research policy matters, and also have a representative of the Branch Committee to feed back information to the Branch and all members.
To further assist with its work, the National Office is requesting all Branches to inform the National Office of details of RQF trials or provide information about the impacts of RQF trials.
For more information, or questions or comments, on the RQF contact Andrew Nette, NTEU Policy and Research Coordinator at anette@nteu.org.au
Further information:
| Understanding and Surviving the RQF | The Union has produced a guide to understanding and surviving the Research Quality Framework. Follow this link to download a copy of the guide. |
| RQF FAQ 2007 | Follow this link to download the latest Frequently Asked Questions about the Research Quality Framework produced by the Union. |
| DEST RQF Fact Sheets 2007 | You can download the Department of Education, Science and Training's RQF fact sheets from this page. |
| Recommended RQF FAQ | The Policy and Research Unit has prepared a short analysis of the recommended RQF. Follow this link to download the analysis. |
| Industrial Memo 9/06 | Industrial Advice for Branches at universities undertaking trial Research Quality Framework exercises |
| RQF Leaflet - June 2006 | Follow this link to download the Union's latest leaflet on the Research Quality Framework. It provides an update of the RQF as well as the Union's concerns. |
| NTEU Research Conference May 17 & 18 | The National Tertiary Education Union held a research conference, entitled Universities and the New Research Environment on May 17 & 18, 2006. The conference brought together researchers, research managers and members involved in the RQF debate. TO ACCESS THE INFORMATION YOU WILL NEED TO LOG IN |
| Presentation to UQ May 2006 | Follow this link to download the presentation made by Dr Carolyn Allport, National President, to members at the University of Queensland in May, 2006 |
| NTEU Briefing: Final Advice on the Preferred RQF Model | Follow this link to download the Union's briefing paper on the Final Advice on the Preferred RQF Model |
| NSW RQF Forum Summary | Follow this link to download the summary of the NTEU's NSW Division forum on the RQF held on March 16. |
| UQ NTEU Research Committee Flier | Follow this link to download the NTEU's UQ Research Committee flier. It provides an example for other branches to use for the development of their own research committees. |
| MEDIA RELEASE: GOVT SHOULD POSTPONE RQF | Follow this link to download the Union's media release urging the Government to postpone the Research Quality Framework |
| MEDIA RELEASE: SCRAPPING OF UK RAE 24 March 2006 | Follow this link to download the Union's media release noting the announcement of the UK scrapping the Research Assessment Exercise. |
| Preferred Model | The Research Quality Framework Preferred Model discussion paper was released, with the endorsement of the Expert Advisory Group, in September 2005. Follow this link to download the discussion paper and the NTEU's response. |
| RQF Stakeholder Forum June 2005 | The Department of Education, Science and Training held a stakeholder forum about the Research Quality Framework. Follow this link to find information from this stakeholder forum as well as a report on the forum from the National President, Dr Carolyn Allport. |
| Advanced Approaches | The Department of Education, Science and Training has released its Advanced Approaches Paper for the Research Quality Framework. The paper is available to download by following this link. The NTEU has produced a summary of this paper, which is also available to download. |
| NTEU Submission(s) and Comments | Follow this link to the NTEU's submission(s) and comments on the Research Quality Framework. The submission by the National Office as well as details received from Branches can be found here. |
| NTEU Information | Follow this link to access important NTEU information and documents about the Research Quality Framework. |
| DEST Information | Access information released by the Department of Education, Science and Training about the Research Quality Framework, including the RQF Issues Paper. |
| Useful Documents | Find and download useful documents and information from a range of sources. |
| Overseas Perspectives | Access information and staff perspectives from the tertiary unions of the UK and NZ relating to their experiences. In the United Kingdom they have the Research Assessment Exercise and in New Zealand they have Performance-Based Research Funding. |