Environment submissions database

Wales entered lockdown in March 2020. This had an immediate and direct effect upon access to research facilities, innovation and KE, compounded by poor broadband in rural locations which affected many staff at AU. Research involving access to University studios, technical spaces, laboratories, archives, travel, and human participants effectively stopped, though some desk-based research continued. Staff were advised to pivot their research to what was now possible. To monitor the effects on academic activity, including research, Aberystwyth University (AU) immediately introduced weekly meetings between Executive and Heads of Department. It also convened a research task group to advise Executive and report to Senate on: • mitigating the effects of lockdown, and of subsequent restrictions, to ensure that research continued; • supporting researchers undertaking COVID research; and • returning to facilities in a safe and responsible manner. Both the VC and PVC-Research conducted regular meetings with staff, including with protected groups, to gauge the impact on researchers and explore mitigating measures. Human Resources also undertook two ‘pulse’ surveys (May and November 2020). Mitigations introduced as a result included new associate lecturer and graduate teaching assistant schemes to relieve workload pressures associated with changes to L&T and student support practices. Over the course of summer 2020, the Welsh Government (WG) slowly lifted restrictions, enabling some return to research facilities. AU prioritised the return of research students and research grant holders, on the basis that these had the most pressing deadlines. The return was however constrained by the need to offer individual risk assessments of each laboratory, placing significant demands upon AU’s small Health and Safety team. AU therefore increased its H&S resources, though further delays were also encountered where risk assessments required modifications to laboratories. Social distancing requirements also limited the numbers who could work in most laboratories. AU addressed this by asking Faculties to prioritise access based on need. By the end of the summer, most laboratories had re-opened but at reduced capacity. Lockdown and supply chain difficulties also impacted upon the construction of new facilities. Strong project management however meant that the handover of the major agri- and bio-tech innovation campus (AIEC) was only delayed from July to August 2020, while the Cat2 and Cat3 veterinary research laboratories were only marginally affected. AU encouraged research involving human participants to move online where possible, and reviewed research ethics guidelines appropriately to facilitate this change. Almost all desk-based research continued off campus, some KE activities moved successfully online (and some benefitted from the ability to engage more effectively with geographically dispersed communities), and some innovation activities recommenced, though a number of impact activities had to be postponed or cancelled. The continuation of online teaching in September, growing WG restrictions culminating in a ‘firebreak’ 23/10/20-9/11/20, and the move into another lockdown in December (including home-schooling), added significantly to the difficulties experienced by researchers and slowed momentum again: in the November pulse survey, over half of academics reported that their workload was unmanageable, a significant increase on the 18% who reported unmanageable workloads pre-COVID.