Environment submissions database

The effects of COVID-19 on Central have been profound, with a reduction in income — short course income, for example, is down by c.£330k in 2019/20 and looks likely to worsen in 2020/21 — necessarily limiting institutional investment in Research. Central’s emergency budget stripped back planned capital projects, including the technical update of the Embassy Theatre and upgrading of capital system developments, both of which are key to practice research R&D. Additional costs include: £55k making the building COVID secure; £23k shipping library stock and office equipment to support staff working from home; £66k investment in IT to support home-working for staff and students; over £42k filming performance outcomes/public productions; £28k on e-books for the Library; and increased support for staff from our 24/7/365 employee assistance counselling programme. Our outturn for 2019/20 is £332k below approved budget for the year; for 2020/21 we expect it to be £1.3m below the 2019/20 forecast. Planning and delivering a hybrid curriculum, with 35% in-person practical teaching on campus September–December 2020, has reduced staff time for research. Our close links to and working relationships with the UK’s creative industries — projecting a £77bn turnover loss in 2020 — has led to the cancellation or postponement of projects realised with industry, including 14 practice research projects for 2020/21. Our ability to nurture and deliver impact has also been affected by the situation in a cultural sector hard hit by social distancing. Our research strategy has, nevertheless, adapted to the situation in a number of ways. Maintaining productivity while prioritising our commitment to an inclusive research culture (e.g., recognising the precarious position of many ECRs), we postponed sabbatical awards for 2020/21. This redirected funding has supported researchers on fixed-term research contracts (rather than seeing them furloughed). This strategic decision to direct resources towards fixed-term staff (with proportionally higher Black and Global Majority, women and ECR researchers) through 2020/22 will enable protection of a vital research base. We have provided support to our disabled researchers and 41% of our researchers with caring responsibilities through targeted funding (£28k), with further aid to research projects realised with creative industry partners (£13k). Our support for PGRs includes: the introduction of a COVID monitoring form, revised every three months, allowing students, supervisors and the PGR programme to monitor the effects of the pandemic on each candidate; bespoke advice and the provision of individual support; loosening the criteria around our £500 annual stipend for research training and expenses to enable candidates to use funds for expanded purposes (e.g., the purchase of books, childcare or enhanced WIFI provision); an institutionally funded COVID fees extension scheme for up to a year. Finally, to maintain cohort well-being, the PGR programme holds a regular open forum with PGRs to provide a space for discussion and for candidates to meet with the core supervising team at Central. Our support measures have sought to prioritise the wellbeing of our researchers, navigating bereavement, illness and the challenges of childcare and schooling while they work at home during this pandemic.