New ERA for research quality

A new research quality and evaluation system has been announced by the Federal Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, to replace the dumped Research Quality Framework (RQF).

The Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative, to be developed by the Australian Research Council (ARC) in conjunction with the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR), will assess research quality using a combination of metrics and expert review, he said in a statement.

"Australia is about to embark on a transparent, workable system to assess the quality of home-grown research," Carr said.

"For the first time we will be able to measure our achievements against our peers around the world and plan the future of research investment."

Carr said the ERA model would use leading researchers to evaluate research activity progressively in each of the ARC discipline clusters. Health and medical research will continue to be informed by experts from the NHMRC, he said.

"Each cluster report will detail by institution and by discipline those areas that are internationally competitive, together with emerging areas where there are opportunities for development and further investment."

Senator Carr said that ERA would start with those disciplines where the metrics were most widely accepted, such as in the physical and biological sciences.

One of the stumbling blocks experienced during the RQF process was a lack of agreed metrics or measurements in the humanities, social sciences and the performing arts.

Carr said he would continue consultation with those sorts of disciplines.

The ERA will build on work done to date in defining areas of strength, and will aid the development of a 'hubs and spokes' model for research infrastructure that is based on all universities having centres of excellence in specified fields, he said.

It will also assist with the Government's plans to introduce funding compacts for universities.

Carr said that until the ERA was fully developed, the current arrangements for the block grants funding will be maintained and would remain the responsibility of the DIISR. Future arrangements will be determined in consultation with the sector.

Universities Australia, formerly known as the Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee (AVCC), said it welcomed the development of a metrics-based system to replace the RQF.

Universities Australia's CEO, Dr Glenn Withers, said the association was pleased to see that emerging areas of research are being recognised.

"Senator Carr has indicated a discipline-based system of research quality evaluation and Universities Australia would be keen to ensure that this system does not disadvantage interdisciplinary research," Withers said.

"While this early definition of the ERA is welcome, Universities Australia now seeks active consultation with government on the development of the ERA system, the linkages to funding and how the so called 'hubs and spokes' model will operate."

Duncan Jones, executive director of Science Industry Australia, said that while the industry association welcomed the announcement, the initiative does not at this stage include measurements for commercial research quality.

"Commercial research undertaken by publicly funded research agencies (PFRAs) needs to be handled differently to academic research," Jones said.

"Commercial research typically cannot be submitted to a peer review mechanism like that proposed under ERA."

He said the association had developed a proof of concept checklist and guidelines for assessing commercial research that, if implemented, would mimic the quality control that the peer review process applies to academic research.