This report, prepared by RAND Europe and Frontier Economics for Research England, delves into the funding landscape in which UKRPIF operates. It investigates various approaches to evaluating investments in R&I infrastructure and highlights best practices. The report presents a detailed plan for evaluating the programme, encompassing process mapping, stakeholder analysis, Theory of Change, impact pathways and implementation plans.

Evaluation of the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund

Evaluation Plan

Billy Bryan, Tamara Strabel, Emily Hutton, Katie O'Brien, Susan Guthrie, Maria Guijon, Danail Popov

ResearchPublished Aug 20, 2024

The UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) aims to support higher education (HE) capital projects, promote collaboration with industry, and increase private-sector investment in HE providers' (HEPs) research. With £900 million allocated to 53 projects across six funding rounds, an additional £100 million will be awarded in 2023 and 2024. The fund's objectives include enhancing research facilities, encouraging strategic partnerships, stimulating investment and contributing to economic growth.

Research England commissioned RAND Europe and Frontier Economics to evaluate the UKRPIF programme's effectiveness in achieving these objectives. Building on previous work, this report outlines the evaluation plan which will be implemented between 2023 and 2028.

The report discusses best practices for evaluating research infrastructure, outlines process mapping and stakeholder mapping, providing insights into the UKRPIF 'customer journey' and main stakeholders, and summarises UKRPIF project characteristics and maps project objectives at the fund level. The report also presents the Theory of Change, outlining specific impact pathways for UKRPIF to achieve its objectives, and the approach to process, impact, and economic analysis, along with the indicator framework. Finally, the report outlines the plan for implementing the evaluation, including data collection timelines.

Key Findings

Understanding the Dynamics of UK's Higher Education Investment and Infrastructure

  • Capital and infrastructure investment is vital for maintaining a robust Higher Education (HE) sector in the UK, but the 2010 comprehensive spending review led to significant funding cuts, creating challenges for such investments.
  • There was a recognised gap in investment for mid-range capital projects, and the potential benefits of the UK's research base were not being fully realised, leading to the launch of the UKRPIF programme in 2012.
  • The UK research funding landscape is complex and has undergone significant changes, including the split of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) into the Office for Students (OfS) and Research England (RE) in 2017, with RE now administering the UKRPIF.

Addressing Methodological Challenges in Evaluating the UKRPIF Programme

  • Evaluating the UKRPIF programme faces challenges such as time lags in realising impacts, isolating impacts from other factors, potential data shortages and assessing displacement effects.
  • Capturing complex impacts requires balancing simplicity in metrics with understanding societal and cultural changes, which may necessitate more demanding data collection activities.

Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: Research England
  • Publisher: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web-Only
  • Year: 2024
  • Pages: 101
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA2796-1
  • Document Number: RR-A2796-1

Citation

RAND Style Manual
Bryan, Billy, Tamara Strabel, Emily Hutton, Katie O'Brien, Susan Guthrie, Maria Guijon, and Danail Popov, Evaluation of the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund: Evaluation Plan, RAND Corporation, RR-A2796-1, 2024. As of September 17, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2796-1.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Bryan, Billy, Tamara Strabel, Emily Hutton, Katie O'Brien, Susan Guthrie, Maria Guijon, and Danail Popov, Evaluation of the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund: Evaluation Plan. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2024. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2796-1.html.
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This research was prepared for Research England and conducted by RAND Europe.

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