Expert Panel update

BERA’s Expert Panel on educational research funding is continuing its work. Having had several meetings, the panel has revised its aims and also engaged a RA who is working with the Chair, David James, to compile and analyse data. It has now moved to the interview stage where members of the panel are speaking to key individuals both in funding organisations and HEIs to look at the landscape. Interim findings are set out in the papers available as “downloads” below and will be presented at BERA’s AGM on 26th November. A draft final report and recommendations will be presented to the BERA Council in early 2025 with the full report following shortly afterwards. The panel are scheduled to meet again in December to begin work on the draft final report.

Expert Panel Established

BERA Council has agreed to establish an expert panel to investigate the situation regarding funding for educational research in the UK. David James (Cardiff University, and chair of the REF 2021 Education sub-panel) has agreed to chair this.

This BERA Expert Panel is a continuation of the Education: The State of the Discipline initiative where the funding for educational research was identified as a priority area for BERA to develop work in. It is intended to clarify the changing landscape of funding for educational research and to help the Association to understand the research environment and to act to support educational researchers.

The panel will present interim findings at the BERA conference in September 2024 and will report subsequently to BERA’s AGM and Council. 

Membership

The panel is chaired by David James, Professor of Sociology of Education, Cardiff University.  

The members include:

• Professor Jo-Ann Baird (Oxford)
• Professor Huw Morris (Welsh Government and UCL)
• Professor Daniel Muijs (Queens University Belfast)
• Professor Gemma Moss (IOE-UCL)
• Anthony Tomei CBE (former CEO, Nuffield Foundation). 

BERA’s President Marlon Moncrieffe, Vice-President Vivienne Baumfield and Chief Executive Nick Johnson will also form part of the panel’s deliberations.

 The panel has been composed to ensure a strong level of experience and expertise from those with knowledge of research council funding mechanisms and processes, major charitable funding mechanisms and processes, government funding mechanisms and processes and HEI educational research grant capture

Aims

 The aims of the expert panel are to:

1. To present a map of the nature and volume of funding for educational research, highlighting notable trends over time and how it compares to other social science disciplines.  
2. To present an informed analysis of the elements of infrastructure and current relationships between research, policy and practice in the UK, including key variations across the four jurisdictions. 
3. To consider and articulate a view on the extent to which these current arrangements: (a) serve goals such as enabling research capacity building or fostering imaginative and creative responses to educational challenges; (b) serve the public good and a selection of stakeholders such as children, learners, citizens, educators, researchers, institutions.   
4. To present recommendations that are forward-looking, and which may lead to improvements, where possible drawing on exemplars of interesting practice.  

Ways of working

In addition to relying on the knowledge and expertise of its members, the expert panel will consider evidence (such as that in REF and HESA data) and relevant publications, e.g., on the nature of educational research and how it is resourced. It will also seek conversations with a selection of key individuals whose experience can enhance its analysis.  Panel members are likely to be involved in facilitating contact with such key individuals.  In addition to meetings of the panel, they are also likely to be involved in commenting on draft material. We will be engaging an RA to support the work of the panel as it conducts its work.