Environment submissions database

Initial Response Following the announcement of the March 2020 Covid-19 lockdown a rapid series of decisions were taken to shut down research facilities, cancel travel, defer PGR completions where appropriate, reset project finish dates (in discussion with funders) and furlough researchers where the nature of the research prevented from continuing research during the pandemic. The University rapidly identified and supported research that could contribute to mitigating the crisis, and strategically important research that needed to continue during lockdown. As the lockdown evolved a working group (“Rebooting research”) was set up specifically to restart research activity. Activities included developing standard operating procedures for covid-secure operation of facilities, providing advice on risk assessment procedures to minimise covid risk, utilitising “three R” (reduce, replace and refine) principles to decrease load on reduced capacity facilities, and prioritising facilities for early opening. We also surveyed academics and researchers to monitor and address any EDI issues arising from the pandemic. Impacts of Covid-19 Academic Staff. The effects on academic staff have been severe, with the move to on-line and then blended teaching, often coupled with significant disruption to home life, absorbing enormous time and energy. The direct effect on research programmes has been varied but often very significant. Staff continue to be extremely stretched. PGR Students. In addition to RCUK funding, the University has allocated a significant proportion of 2020/21 QR funding to provide extensions to University-funded PGR students whose completion date has been affected. Funded Projects. The crisis led to the temporary suspension of many research projects; the judicious use of researcher furlough, no-cost extensions and UKRI CoA funding has allowed much of this impact to be mitigated, although significant detriments remain. We have provided guidance on how to restructure research to online activity. Research Income. There was a large reduction in expected research income in the financial year 2019/20 (from a projected £10m+ to £8.5m), and as the University’s trajectory is rapidly growing this is significant in terms of our REF 5a narrative. We currently project approximately £15m for 2020/21. Research Impact. The University is rapidly developing and has opened a number of new schools and subject areas during the census period. This provides particularly significant challenges in impact generation, given the need to undertake underpinning research and translation in a very short period of time. A number of our case studies were reliant on specific activities that have been cancelled due to Covid, and the maturation of the impacts has been negatively affected in others where partner organisations have re-prioritised. Research culture and environment. The University has continued with research environment activities wherever possible, moving to on-line equivalents of “awaydays”, workshops, symposia and conferences, and this has been very successful. This has included some significant new initiatives, including thematic research. However, some key activities have been adversely affected, particularly the fellowship schemes operated by the Lincoln Institute of Advanced Studies, which are central to our research environment and internationalisation strategy.