Presentation to APC, January 2010

Science and Science and TechnologyTechnology

• Increased UG numbers and A level grades• Increasing overseas teaching activity and a

strong wish to grow this• Good PGR numbers• Strong research income• Financially robust with outperformance since

faculty began

Science and Science and Technology: current Technology: current

positionposition

• Context nationally• Lancaster recruitment• Quality assurance and student survey• Course development and placements• International expansion– Growth– Context– Challenges

• Obstacles/challenges summary

UG and PG : Outline

Total Chem and Physics A Total Chem and Physics A LevelsLevels

Total Maths and FM A LevelsTotal Maths and FM A Levels

Total Computing and ICT A Total Computing and ICT A LevelsLevels

Undergraduate Home/EU Undergraduate Home/EU AdmissionsAdmissions

UG Admissions by UG Admissions by department department

UG A level grades

2006 2007 2008 2009 A grade change08 to 09

Biol 21.70 22.20 22.93 25.04 +2.11 Nat Sci 21.48 23.10 22.39 24.56 +2.17 Env Sci 21.17 22.90 22.17 23.29 +1.12 Geog 23.65 24.80 24.57 24.90 +0.33 Comp 22.50 21.10 23.75 24.75 +1.00 Comms 20.33 19.80 21.76 22.95 +1.19 Eng 19.96 20.40 21.59 24.23 +2.64 Maths 25.37 24.70 26.14 27.02 +0.88 Physics 23.81 23.40 24.10 25.88 +1.78Psyc 25.58 25.00 26.26 26.36 +0.10

FST Average 23.07 23.50 24.39 25.39 +1 .00

• Recent PQR successes for Geography, Environmental Science, and Communications Systems

• Good NSS performance with assessment and feedback strong in some departments (Maths, Physics) but needing attention in others (applications affected this year)

• Pursuing assessment and feedback as a priority within the faculty, monitoring feedback and improving assessment in module proposal outlines

• Ongoing embedding of QA processes for partnership programmes within departmental and faculty teaching committees

• Exploring the experience of international students and developing departmental and extra departmental support systems, with tutors for specific cohorts

Placement projects in LEC, Infolab and Engineering for PG and some UG

Some work experience for overseas students

New LEC UG module ‘Dissertation with work placement’

Work with CEEC: All departments in FST will run two day employability workshops this year – many to be embedded in existing skills modules

Employability – work with employers is a task in the SciTech Vision Project

Opportunities currently being explored within LEC to more effectively utilise modules across the LEC disciplines, providing greater choice for students in existing degrees, and enabling new programme development

Harmonisation of teaching within Communications Systems and Computing underway to increase efficiency and reduce overlap

Harmonisation of electronics teaching between Communications systems and Engineering to increase efficiency and reduce overlap

Given A level chemistry growth, possible opportunity to consider teaching UG Chemistry by delivery of a suite of applied chemistry degrees with expertise in Engineering, Environmental Science and Biomedical and Life Sciences

Currently registered up to 09/10

Predicted Registrations 09/10

O/S UG Open Market

56 33

Islands 14 10

Manipal 17 24

Sunway 436 80

COMSATS 50

Goenka 0

Total 523 197

10/11 11/12 12/13 13/14

O/S UG Open Market 50 60 70 80

Islands 15 22 33 46

Manipal 25 26 28 30

Sunway 100 120 150 150

COMSATS 75 100 150 150

Goenka 100 200 300 400

Total 365 528 731 856

• Access, validation and remote delivery• Concentrated in Engineering, Communications and

Computing but opportunities across the Faculty• Staff numbers in two areas are low and stretched• Need to monitor nationality profile on programmes at

Lancaster to ensure UK academic experience is not lost

• Specialised knowledge about QA and about accreditation needed

• Engagement currently very high from departments

• Consider widening areas: what else will ‘sell itself’ ?• Integrating our plans: bringing centre/faculty

/departments together to maximise opportunities• Placing limits on numbers of new activities being

considered at any one time• Faculty team– Overseas partnerships officer to assist UG Associate Dean– Dedicated overseas administration staff– Allocated tutors across departments

Obstacles OverviewObstacles Overview

• FST would like to grow UG recruitment with good quality students - but may not be a good time given current economic position even though science may be protected

• Core science provision weak in chemistry. Chemistry teaching is needed within the faculty but not always research led. Equipment costly but needed. Further exploration to be carried out in 09/10

• Planning and prediction for increasing International activity hampered by lack of robust data around international applications and registrations

• Staff resource to engage successfully with off shore developments may be stretched

• Changes in UKBA requirements for international students may hamper registrations although faculty staff make significant efforts to increase recruitment. This may lead to frustration of the staff involved

• An increasingly competitive environment nationally and internationally– New players coming into the international

student market in English, e.g., France, Germany• Demanding financial climate• A greater emphasis on improving links to

employers and provision of training in both PGR and PGT

• Shift towards integrated/managed PG programmes, e.g., DTCs

LevelGrand Total

Proportion of total by

level

UG 2125 74%

PGT 379 13%

PGR 352 12%Grand Total 2856 100%

PGT Proportion PGR Proportion

Home/EU 312 82% 242 69%

Overseas 67 18% 110 31%

Total 379 100% 352 100%

PGT Proportion PGR Proportion

Full-time 222 59% 298 85%

Part-time 157 41% 54 15%

Total 379 100% 352 100%PGR counted when paying full fees

• MSc programmes in 6 out of 7 departments• A number of M year programmes

MSci/MEng/MPhys: 61 students in the M year• MRes year as part of some 4 year PhD

programmes• CPD/industry masters programmes: part time – Safety engineering– Decommissioning– Investigative expertise– 100 students

• Open market – F/T: 44– P/T: 2

• 2008/9: 29 O/S PGT students assisted with scholarships/bursaries

• Partnerships– Comsats: 5 (Access)– Sunway: 18 (Remote)• MSc in Networked and Mobile Systems• MSc (research) in Computer Science

– A number of other partnerships on the horizon

• Open market – F/T: 67– P/T: 9

• Partnerships– Comsats: 7– Sunway: 3

• Studentships/fee waivers 2008/9– 19 overseas students assisted

• Based overseas– A Lancaster experience– Lancaster QA– Fully integrated into Lancaster processes

• Based at Bailrigg– Attention to previous learning styles and cultural

differences– Additional classes/tutorials– An international experience– Language training

PGT• Traditionally a primer for

PhD• Increasing awareness of

more industry-relevant PGT programmes

• Requires improving our understanding of both local and international industry needs and student expectations

PGR• Our research excellence

attracts students• Increasingly competitive

international markets with funded positions available

• Lack of funding can put off prospective strong international students

• Research council awards – group or individual (BBSRC, NERC, ESRC)• DTA funded (EPSRC)• CDT funded• CASE studentships • Part or whole industry funded • Faculty studentships

– 2007/08: 6, 2008/09: 8, 2009/10: 8 • University studentships

– 2008/09: 10 • Grant funded : charities, research councils• Overseas government funded • Self funded

• Highwire: DTC in digital economy. Directed by Gordon Blair, Computing. Post disciplinary across three department/faculties. 10 students in each of 4 years

• NowNano: DTC in interdisciplinary nanoscience Joint with Manchester. Led by Volodya Falko, Physics.

• STOR: DTC in Statistics and OR. Director Jon Tawn, M&S,(Chair, Kevin Glazebrook). Up to 15 students in each of 4 years. Part industry funded

Student experience is pretty good ◦Esp. for OS students, +ve message

carried home QA mechanisms work but need to be

harmonised for PGR We have good diversity of intake Need to do more for full integration

of remote students Placements as part of PGT increasing

• New PGT admissions process, 2 FAOs• Marketing officer• Induction event for new students• Graduation reception• Poster competition for the SciTech Christmas conference

– Over-subscribed– 55 posters presented– Prizes for winners and runners-up

• SciTech Grad School Forum– Student representatives from departments (both elected and

volunteers)– To gain feedback and understand student needs for the RTP

• 38 training coursers in the RDP– Students are encouraged to achieve 20 research training credits a year

(1 credit = half a day’s training) – In Michaelmas Term (2009/2010) 19 coursers were provided and 87

students attended these

– Should training courses be compulsory ?

• Departments poor at costing PGT– Fee setting– Need to improve module sharing across schemes– Remove/refresh under-recruiting programmes

• Home/EU Funding for PGT– No EPSRC training funds – Graduate Debt

• International delivered overseas– Small numbers and growth unclear– Focus on a small set of partnerships with high ROI

• Recruitment in a competitive market– Incentivise: Continue Dean’s scholarships and Departmental

bursaries

• PGR variance across departments: Grad School action– Monitoring and assessment processes– Completion rates– Research training culture– Programme reviews

• Increasing shift towards DTCs– May negatively impact bottom-up research– 1+3 model may require a rethinking of our PGR programmes as

a whole• Recruitment in a competitive market

– We are not dependent on single sources of funding but there are pressures on all sources

– CDTs elsewhere may add to competition

ResearchExcellence with impact

Science and TechnologyScience and Technology

Where are we now ? RAE Where are we now ? RAE summarysummary

• 4* outputs in all areas • Physics top in country with 25% 4* and 95%

international• Computing 100 % international (tied 10th)• Statistics 11th• LEC tied 12th• Communications hit by environment• Engineering reasonable but very small, pure

maths static, psychology down

From faculty strategic plan:• Physics, Computing, Statistics and LEC in the

top 5 nationally, with Physics holding on to first position

• All other UoAs in the top half of the list of 94 Group and Russell Group universities

• Impact preparation– Christmas conference 2009– Undertake a Faculty-wide Impact Pilot

• Monitor research grant performance– Research committee– Departments

• Active management of research bidding– Alert staff to forthcoming bidding opportunities– Put together bid teams– Win some big bids

• Diversify income streams: TSB, industry

• Attract, develop and retain world-class staff– Flexible recruitment processes– Robust PDR process with strong objective-setting– Identification of top journals for each area– Research staff: development and flexibility

• Maintain world-class infrastructure– strategic equipment purchases– upgraded laboratories – high grade working environment

• to optimise InfoLab by bringing Computing and Communications Systems together to develop new programmes in research, teaching and innovation

• to create new research centres in – Energy, especially nuclear and carbon capture

at the landscape scale – quantum technologies– and to horizon scan for at least one further

centre

• dual problems of declining energy resources and the global threat of climate change

• major national and international funding agencies recognise that there is a need for:– a mix of new technologies to develop alternative

secure energy sources that reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions

– new technologies for user control– an updated energy infrastructure that can cope

with future demand– social, economic and environmental analyses of the

new technologies and of energy use.

• Four challenges– The nuclear challenge– The computing challenge– The transport challenge– The challenge of carbon sequestration at

the landscape scale• Two landscapes– The technology landscape– The KE landscape

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

LQTC Malvern Centre

Industry

Design Materials Feasibility and testing

Prototyping

NASA Technology Readiness Level (TRL)

HF components

Bio- sensors and imaging

Telecoms laser

Photovoltaics,Oil recovery

Bookham

IR Sources, Gas Sensing

ADI, Microcrystal, Statek

BP

NHS, Unilever, Anasys

Numonyx, IBMMemories

E2V, PROCAL, GSS

LQTCcapability

EquipmentGrowth and pre-processingCharacterisationTheory and modelling

StaffQT Fellows, Business Development Manager, Technical support, Project manager

Technical software

Accelrys, BP

• STFC : restrictions in grant funding, cuts in amount of FEC paid, removal of UK from some international activity. 356 proposals during 2008-2009, requesting over £250 million. 206 approved (receiving just over £67 million in total).

• EPSRC: continued move to larger groupings, larger early career grants, larger responsive mode grants, more themes and signposts , controls on who can submit grants, 23% /24% (number /amount) success in responsive mode 2008/9

• NERC: seven science themes each with a strategy plan and action plans in addition to response mode. Currently reviewing skills needs. 23 % success rate 08/09.

• ESRC: moving to CDT model, continued focus on quantitative methods, underestimated FEC costs, increased numbers of applications, 13% responsive mode success recently

• Cross research council themes: interdisciplinarity, addressing issues of major concern, with continued emphasis on economics and social sciences in relation to science and technology areas

• TSB – technology focussed, industry funding needed, complex procedures

From faculty strategic plan :• to increase our research income from a wide variety of sources, including

industry, and to build our capacity to win large bidsChallenges:• Making and winning large bids• Responsive mode squeeze• Interdisciplinarity and research teams• Industry collaboration• European funding – maintaining relationships with partners• Directing the agenda

– RCUK– Government– Europe– International

67% 66% 69%

67% 66% 69%

% increase

2006/07 2007/08 2008/0906/7 to 08/9

Income % Income % Income %Research Council £7,518,018 52% £9,034,711 56% £9,814,998 56%

30%

Europe £2,885,634 20% £2,899,989 18% £3,687,638 21% 28%

Charity £495,248 3% £496,149 3% £394,834 2%

UK Govt £2,494,704 17% £2,339,964 14% £2,272,343 13%

Industry £828,165 6% £1,094,094 7% £1,060,821 6% 28%

Other £318,099 2% £403,279 2% £306,679 2%

Total £14,539,868 100% £16,268,186 100% £17,537,313 100% 21%

67% 66% 69%

2006/07 2007/08 2008/09

Income % Income % Income %

EPSRC £3,903,775 52% £3,916,665 43% £4,465,883 46%

NERC £673,866 9% £1,530,636 17% £1,865,906 19%

STFC £1,520,363 20% £1,849,757 20% £2,232,879 23%

ESRC £534,789 7% £882,790 10% £765,262 8%

BBSRC £730,910 10% £635,863 7% £313,726 3%

MRC £53,007 1% £121,703 1% £112,540 1%

AHRC £101,304 1% £97,298 1% £58,802 1%

Total £7,518,014 100% £9,034,712 100% £9,814,998 100%

Collaborative research (from HEBCI return)

2006/07 2007/08 2008/09

Income % Income % Income %

FST £8,966,476 77% £6,278,370 75% £8,447,688 67%

Total £11,687,421 100% £8,394,843 100% £12,541,905 100%

Note: Collaborative research figures include in-kind contributions

• 6 grants currently held totally £768k• 2 of these are KTPs• 2 pending• All Engineering, Comms, Computing

• Obstacles– Difficult to put together– Quite small amounts– Time taken to build expertise

• North West Eco-Innovation Programme : Grant income£3.3 million– Enterprise & Business Partnerships team at Lancaster Environment Centre in

partnership with C-Tech Innovation Ltd.

• InfoLab21 Scientific & Technology Exploitation Programme (ISTEP): grant income £850k– To identify, develop and commercially realise available technology transfer

opportunities from InfoLab21’s research

• InfoLab21 Strategic Innovation Support (ISIS): grant income£2million– Access for companies to Transformational ICT: new technologies and high end

solutions. Uses PG and UG students and academic staff.

• Support for Sustainable Design & Rapid Manufacturing (SusDRaM): grant income £1million– A dedicated Rapid Manufacturing facility accessible to industry– Place undergraduate and postgraduate students in NW based manufacturing

companies to facilitate KE and graduate retention

• Director for Enterprise and Industry Relations appointed to work with the Associate Dean for Research– Meet with each Department to discuss their current industrial engagement,

and their plan for improvement. Each Dept to nominate one industrial representative

– Gather information on companies currently working with different Departments within the Faculty in research or in providing student placements and publish this list on the website

– Identify and assist individuals who have new ideas for either patent or spinout company. This is an on-going process, so far we have identified one suitable idea for spinout company

– Establish a closer working relationship with Business Enterprise unit

• Develop a strategy for HEIF5

• Research councils, the European commission and other funders have– Targeted funding– Interdisciplinary problems to address– Preferences for larger groups, within and across institutions

• Industry, TSB, and government organisations want our skills but may not behave like research councils

• We need to be able to– put teams together to work on bids– call on appropriate resources and expertise as and when needed– be flexible in relation to ‘customer’ needs and requirements– work positively together and share the same goals– reduce defensiveness internally so that we can all contribute

• Is there a need for a wider approach to impact and help with identification of impacts both for REF and for research grants ?

• Is there a need for a more integrated approach to research and business development ?

• Is our ERDF strategy (should there be any future ERDF funding) fully articulated given the move away from the need to fund buildings ?

• Is there a need for an update of the innovation/ business development strategy for the university?

And finally

Science and TechnologyScience and Technology

• Developing overseas research partnerships– Identifying nodes in our overseas networks where faculty level

partnership could be developed.– Identifying major research thrusts in other countries where overseas

involvement is requested and where the needs match our expertise.• Can we link across research teaching and industry in one country

• ‘Lancaster in China’ for food security and environment• Can we develop overseas industrial partnerships?

– Exploring knowledge exchange opportunities through inter-governmental programmes.

– Developing industrial partnerships which will offer students placements overseas.

– Developing active direct relationships with companies overseas.

• Understand the relationships and tensions between home markets and international markets

• Encourage colleagues to represent the faculty as well as their area or department when they are overseas.

• Capitalise on the knowledge and expertise of existing international staff and enhance the support provided for them.

• Ensure our alumni relations are extended to our international graduates.

• Seek external support for international activity from a variety of external sources.