Characteristics of high-performing research units

HEFCE have published an overview of the characteristics of high performing research units, using the results of REF 2014 as a proxy for high performance.  The main prerequisites are high-performing people supported by culture, values and leadership. The report identifies three enabling characteristics: focusing on institutional and departmental practices; strategies and funding; and collaborations and networks.

Echoing many of the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, the characteristics of units with high research performance, were observed as:

• more of the staff have doctorates, professorial positions, international experience and externally funded salaries
• they prioritise recruiting the best researchers and retaining them
• they provide training and mentorship programmes to develop staff, while offering rewards for strong performance
• staff display a distinct ethos of social and ethical values
• leaders have earned ‘accountable autonomy’ within their higher education institution
• they have strategies that are real, living and owned, and more than merely a written document
• they receive more income per researcher than the average research unit
• they enable and encourage researchers to initiate collaborations organically, as opposed to using a top down approach.

Read the overview.