Vision, Approach, R4RI: all change please!

Things have changed (again) in the research landscape. UKRI has now migrated to its new Research Funding System. New words and concepts are being used, defined, explained. And researchers and research administrators everywhere are confused. What are a vision, an approach, a R4RI, and what do they do? Why is it no longer a PI but a PL, and what difference does it make to a grant application?

Deciphering the guidance provided by the Research Councils is useful to get an insight on these new taxonomies and requirements, but when you are a busy academic trying to write a grant application, having the time to process all these changes meaningfully is difficult. Moreover, Research Councils staff themselves are having to learn how to explain what these changes means, as well as how to use the affordances of their new system.

This is best evidenced by the use of the Résumé for Research Innovation, R4RI, which has four ‘modules’ for an applicant to fill in, with rather obscure or unspecific titles. The guidance on the template is simply to follow the instructions given for the particular call that you are applying to. So the template is just given as a framework: each Research Council will have to decide what they want it filled with for each call or scheme.

Some changes seem more about convention: calling the lead applicant a Project Lead rather than a Principal Investigator may have little impact on their role in a project. We could perhaps read something behind the shift of focus from research (investigation) to management (project), but it has always been the case that a good grant application requires a solid management structure.

And how about the new Vision and Approach sections? Well, not to write myself out of a job, but in France we say: plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose (the more things change, the more they stay the same)… Same information, different structure and emphasis.

So if you are applying to a Research Council, do not panic. Everyone is in the same boat, learning to grapple with the new. This will take time. Guidance will evolve over the next few months, Research Offices will learn from the feedback applicants received, and all will end up being like it was before. And if you really struggle, contact me!