Research Policy in Scotland and the Rest of the UK
Research Policy in Scotland and the Rest of the UK
Across the developed world, the UK is at the forefront of creating a competitive and marketised research system, driven by the belief that this will contribute to the overall effectiveness and efficiency of universities and the wider economy. Universities have embraced the entrepreneurial research agenda on the grounds that independently earned income provides a certain degree of freedom from ‘state dependence’. At the same time, it is evident that efforts by the state to control research activity have intensified to ensure that funded research produces practical social and economic benefits. The broad approach to university research in Scotland, and the extent to which this differs from UK research policy, is the central focus of this chapter. We discuss the way in which research featured in the referendum debate, noting areas of agreement and disagreement between the Scottish and UK Governments and the universities. In conclusion, we consider whether research policy in Scotland is consistent with the Scottish Government’s claim that higher education north of the border embodies a different set of social values from those which are found within the wider UK system.
Keywords: Research policy, independence, Scotland, higher education, research funding
Edinburgh Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
