Environment submissions database

The University has experienced a significant negative impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on research during the final months of the REF2021 assessment period and it is likely this will have a legacy effect on delivery of research ambitions for the University and its UoAs over the coming 2-5 years. Our Research: The restrictions imposed by the successive lockdowns have had a major effect on our researchers with the impacts having different effects dependent on discipline. Although access to labs has been in place since July 2020, capacity is still restricted to about 30-40% of normal. No face-to-face in person research with participants has occurred and many archives remain closed or are inaccessible due to travel restrictions, impacting almost all of our UoAs. Reduction of grant spend also occurred due to these restrictions. No-cost project extensions have been available from many funders, but costed-extensions are rarely available. Travel restrictions have impacted research despite a number of projects moving to remote working. Our Staff: The need for staff to focus efforts on developing teaching on-line and also offer face-to-face learning had an immediate impact on the time available for research and this is likely to have significant legacy effects in the coming years. Preparation of REF documentation, narratives for the UoAs and for the Impact Case Studies has also been affected and obtaining evidence and testimonials was hampered by a combination of closures of businesses, e.g. the arts sector, and the need for business to focus on immediate issues related to COVID-19. Major investments have been made in our digital infrastructure, including £3.2m in response to the pandemic and mass remote working and cyber security. We have formed a Bounce-Back Research Steering Group focussed on supporting our researchers, communicating our research and supporting the delivery of external income. We have put in place the option of an additional year of probation for all of our academic staff on our Pathway to Permanency. Business Partners: The economic impact of the pandemic on commercial partners has led to four KTP awards being paused and to two early terminations due to changes in businesses priorities. We have worked closely with businesses to provide flexibility by reconfiguring work or pausing projects. Through our University Enterprise Zone, we provided Business Resilience workshops to address emerging issues and support the changing role of leaders in a remote working environment. PGR Students: COVID-19 has had significant impact on our PGRs’ capacity to progress with and complete their research in time and on their wellbeing. Completion rates have been impacted but, due to mitigating actions, our withdrawal rates have not increased. We have implemented a range of practices and tools to identify and categorise the severity of COVID-19 impact at both individual and cohort levels, to enable remote supervision, research training and doctoral-level assessment, and provide wellbeing support for the needs of students from diverse backgrounds. Our Strategy focussed on People, Knowledge and Communities has guided our approach to support in response to the COVID-19 impact.