Annual Reports of the Council and the General Board - 2006

Annual Reports of the Council and the General Board

Under the terms of Statute A, IV, 1(d) the Council is required to make an Annual Report to the Regent House, giving an account of its conduct of affairs during the past academical year; the General Board is required under Statute C, I, 1(f) to make a similar Report to the Council. The Council's Annual Report for the academical year 2005–06 is published below together with the General Board's Report.

Annual Report of the University Council for the academical year 2005–06 The Council begs leave to report to the University as follows: The Council’s Annual Report and the Annual Report of the General Board to the Council should be read together.

Both Reports summarise the work of the respective body and deal with matters which are the statutory responsibilities of each. The Council is the principal policy-making and executive body of the University, so defined in the Statutes.

The Council is therefore significantly involved, through its legislative work, its strategic discussions, and the work of the principal joint committees of the Council and the Board, such as the Joint Planning and Resources Committee, in the educational and research fields which, however, form the principal executive responsibilities of the General Board, and which are therefore reported in detail in the Board’s Report.

Dr Stephen Fleet 1.

The Council recorded with deep regret the death of Dr Stephen Fleet, Registrary, 1983–97, and later Master of Downing College, a dedicated and highly effective servant of the University and the Colleges, particularly Downing and Fitzwilliam.

Strategic planning, resources, finance 2.

Further progress has been made in restoring financial balance in the University, as summarised in detail in the Allocations Report for 2006–07 (Reporter, 2005–06, p671), which sets out a comprehensive picture of the anticipated financial position of the University. Nevertheless, the resources available to the University are tightly stretched, because of the extensive commitments necessary to maintain, develop, and further improve overall excellence in teaching and research in the University, and to keep our infrastructure up to date. Further significant increases in the income available to the University are therefore still needed, and improvement of the arrangements for University funding, which in the UK inevitably consists of a variety of public and other funding streams, is a priority for the University.

3.

A further ‘College fee’ settlement was agreed with the Colleges, after negotiation with representatives of the Planning and Resources Committee, providing reasonable payment by the University in respect of most home and EU undergraduates, with corresponding educational and other obligations to the University on the part of the Colleges.

4.

Proposals are under consideration nationally for possible changes to the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), which is an important driver of a significant element of the University’s funding (that is, the QR element of the HEFCE block grant). The proposals at present under consideration are for the replacement of existing peer review assessment methods by some form of metrics-based approach. Such an approach has weaknesses and hazards, and the University, in its own right and in co-operation with other like-minded universities, is participating constructively in continuing national discussions.

5.

The Investment Board, a Committee of the Council (which has replaced the Finance Committee’s former Investment Sub-committee), has now been established and has begun work. A search has taken place for a Chief Investment Officer, and Mr Nick Cavalla’s appointment was announced this term.

Pay and grading 6.

The proposals of the Council and the General Board about the pay and grading of University staff have been approved and an extensive programme of implementation (including matching and moderation) has taken place during the academical year, now almost complete, except for cases of review and appeal. The Council is grateful to all University staff and to the heads and administrators of institutions for their co-operation. A pay settlement has been agreed nationally for a period of several years.

University policy 7.

Various developments in University policy, and reviews, have taken place as follows: Intellectual Property Rights. The new IPR policies and procedures, developed after extensive consultation, have now been implemented and are in operation.

The University internationally. The two international reviews have been concluded and published (Reporter, 2005–06, pp614 and 623), and the recommendations made are now in the course of implementation.

Postgraduate education. A review of postgraduate education, led by the Pro-Vice-Chancellors for Education and Research, is in progress.

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Local and regional planning: North West Cambridge 8.

The long-term development of University land in North West Cambridge is a matter of great importance to the future of the University. Progress can now be made on it following the adoption by the City Council of the 2006 Cambridge Local Plan, which confirmed the principal propositions for the area which the University put forward.

University structures are now being put in place to enable the University to plan both early and later developments. Full development will, of course, take place over some decades. The Council is grateful to Mr Alexander Johnston, an external member of the University Finance Committee, for agreeing to chair the strategy committee for North West Cambridge.

Land and buildings 9.

The significant programme of capital building continued with new buildings being completed for the Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience (Huntingdon Road), the Department of Zoology (Madingley), the Centre for Advanced Photonics and Electronics, the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, and the Cancer Research Facility at Addenbrooke’s. The sale of 2.5 ha of land at George Nuttall Close off Milton Road, Cambridge, for housing was completed during the year.

Government of the University 10. The Council, on advice from the statutory Nominating Committee, reappointed Professor A C Minson as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for planning and resources from 1 August 2006. This is a major function, which in particular requires leading the Planning and Resources Committee and the Resource Management Committee, and taking part in a wide variety of activities in the central management of the University and the development of University policy. Following recent changes of Statute the Pro-Vice-Chancellor is no longer Acting Secretary General and Acting Treasurer, as these offices have been terminated.

11. Later in the year, again after due process through the Nominating Committee, the Council reappointed the other four Pro-Vice-Chancellors with some redefinition of portfolios; these reappointments take effect from 1 January 2007: Professor A D Cliff, human resources (re-designation) Professor I M Leslie, research Professor M C McKendrick, education Dr K B Pretty, international strategy (re-designation).

12. Clarified and improved arrangements for voting in the University were approved by the Regent House on the recommendation of the Council and are now in force. This followed earlier consideration of a consultative report (or green paper). The Council hopes that it will be possible for more matters to be dealt with through green papers or consultative reports, both of the Council itself, and of other bodies in the University, such as the General Board and the principal policy committees. The Council hopes that this process can be further enhanced by the use, in particular, of web discussion methods. The Council plans to introduce significantly improved web arrangements for University business in the first half of 2007.

13. The Council has discussed matters of University governance on several occasions during the year, with the advice of the group chaired by the Master of Emmanuel, including the Master of Clare, Lord Simon, and Professor J S Bell. The Council does not believe that there is a necessity for major structural changes, and has therefore concluded that the University’s priority should be to make such targeted changes as will improve further the University’s capacity to undertake efficient and effective self government. The Council believes that the principal areas in which early such developments would assist the University are these: (a) The Council has considered some limited increase in the number of external members of the Council itself.

An early green paper is planned. (b) Development, and codification, of the important roles of the Councils of the Schools and their chairs, about which consultation has been taking place during the academical year; a Report on this matter has recently been published (Reporter, p230).

14. The Council has arranged for the preparation of a comprehensive statement of the composition and responsibilities of the principal University bodies and authorities, including the Council, the General Board, and committees. This is for publication in the near future. It is intended as an aid to members of the University (and to members of committees and the central bodies) in taking part in University business.

15. The Council has agreed to adopt a code of practice to confirm conventions applying to members of the Council.

This will soon be published for reference.

The Council 16. The Council has continued the relatively recently adopted improved pattern of work, with a sequence of approximately monthly ordinary meetings during the year (eleven) and two strategic meetings each academical year, one out of Cambridge held in September, and the other in Cambridge held in March. These strategic meetings have considered a variety of topics, including the principal elements of strategic planning, and aspects of University governance and management. Much detailed work of the Council is dealt with, under careful protocols which allow all members of the Council to be involved, by the Business Committee (legislative and similar work), the Executive Committee (legal and comparable work), and through frequent circulation of routine business and material for information and report.

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17. The Council is responsible for the supervision of some University institutions (those not placed under the supervision of the General Board) and discharges this function particularly through the Planning and Resources and Personnel Committees, the participation of these institutions in strategic planning processes, and through the Finance Committee, which engages in discussions with institutions such as the Local Examinations Syndicate, and the Press (which has a somewhat different statutory status from that of other institutions).

18. The Council has received and published the reports of reviews of two divisions of the University Offices (the Estate Management and Building Service and the Health and Safety Division). The Council has authorised the next review of a division, to take place during 2006–07, to be of the Finance Division. The Registrary has also reported to the Council on a process of development of the Unified Administrative Service (UAS), designed to achieve greater clarity and coherence and to improve resource, personnel, and facilities management for the UAS. Some amendments of Ordinance may be necessary in due course if there are changes to divisional structures or titles.

19. The Information Strategy Group takes an overview of major information schemes. The Council is pleased to note continuing progress with the implementation of information systems supporting the University’s key business processes. CUFS, the financial system, has been operational for some years now. CamSIS, the student information system, is operational and will be rolled out to further University institutions and Colleges over the next few years. The next major scheme, which is in development, is for human resources (CHRIS).

20. The Joint Committee on Development (a Joint Committee of the University and the Colleges) has continued to play an active role in providing oversight and direction of the 800th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign. During 2005–06 there were successful public launches of the Campaign in Cambridge, London, New York, San Francisco, and Hong Kong.

The Council’s work in 2006–07 21. The audited accounts of the University for 2005–06 (which for the first time include those of the Press) will be published in December 2006. The Council expects to report to the University in the spring of 2007, in the form of the Allocations Report, about the financial position of the University and the budget for 2007–08.

22. The Council also plans a systematic programme of strategic discussions during the year, in the course of which it expects to commission certain strategic reviews from other bodies in the University, and from individuals. The Council hopes then to publish a statement or statements of strategic directions in the academical year 2007–08.

23. The Council will maintain its continued monitoring of the developing Campaign for the 800th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign, and of the planning of development in North West Cambridge. Both these matters are normally reviewed termly by the Council, and may also be discussed at the strategic meetings.

Conclusion 24. The Council remarked in the Report last year that there are significant challenges ahead, especially in relation to resources, but that the Council believed that the strategies reported gave grounds for optimism about the future of the University, a matter of national, indeed international, significance. This remains true, but the Council believes that positive progress has been made in major fields, and will continue, so that the grounds for optimism are stronger than before.

11 December 2006 Alison Richard, Vice-Chancellor Z Baranski Richard Barnes Nigel Brown William Brown Mike Clark Bob Dowling Mark Ferguson D Lowther

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D W B MacDonald James Matheson Martin Rees G A Reid David Simon Veronica Sutherland Liba Taub Joan M Whitehead Richard Wilson

Annual Report of the General Board to the Council for the academical year 2005–06 The General Board presents this Annual Report to the Council.

1. Management of Schools, Faculties, and Departments 1.1 Following the recent changes in the University’s planning and budgeting arrangements in which the Councils of the Schools play a key role and exercise a high degree of autonomy for budgetary purposes, the Board undertook a consultation exercise among institutions proposing an enhancement of the role of the Chairmen of the Councils of the Schools to reflect more appropriately the weight of their responsibilities under the new arrangements and their place in the senior leadership of the University. The proposals have now been broadly accepted and a Report to the University recommending their implementation will be published in the Michaelmas Term 2006 [published on 13 December, Reporter, p230].

1.2 The principal changes in the structure of Faculties and Departments approved in the course of the year were: • The formation of a Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, through the amalgamation of the Departments of Physiology and Anatomy (Reporter, 2005–06, p64), to develop an integrated programme of research and education in the biosciences • The establishment of a Faculty of Computer Science and Technology (Reporter, 2005–06, p143), recognising the standing and maturity of Computer Sciences and its cross-linkages with cognate disciplines.

1.3 The Board continued to meet three times a term, supplemented by a procedure for handling more straightforward business between meetings by circular. These arrangements enabled the Board to devote more time to strategic issues including giving detailed consideration to the academic and financial plans of the Schools and the outcome of major reviews of Faculties and Departments.

1.4 Each of the Schools now has well-developed forward strategies for student numbers, and the balance between undergraduates, taught postgraduates, and research postgraduates, in the light of their assessments of capacity and the research strategies of particular disciplines. Arrangements, co-ordinated through the Undergraduate Admissions Committee, for managing undergraduate numbers are responsive and working well.

1.5 All the Schools are giving a very high priority to their research plans, in readiness for the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). A number of key senior appointments have been made, or are planned, both in core areas, and to play important leadership roles in areas which span more than one institution, for example Stem Cells, the Physics of Medicine, Statistics, Conservation Biology, Politics, and Modern Arabic. The Board expects to see the development of further cross-cutting themes of global importance, for example in the fields of energy and sustainability. Building on the University’s record of success in raising financial support from external sources, including the 800th Campaign, such initiatives should be a priority for strategic investment by the University.

1.6 The Board’s consideration of the Schools’ plans highlighted the need for continued attention to ensuring congruence between academic and estate planning, particularly in relation to the West Cambridge site and the development of the central sites, initially the Old Press site. Notwithstanding the evolution of the Full Economic Costing (FEC) approach to the University’s core activities, the Board is clear that there is a continuing need for a dedicated stream of capital funding for universities, through the HEFCE block grant, thus retaining the flexibility to determine investment in line with the University’s strategic priorities.

1.7 The Board intends to give further thought to developing mechanisms for obtaining an external perspective on the work of institutions in the light of the experience of those Schools which have instituted international visiting committees.

1.8 In the forthcoming planning round the Board will be giving particular attention to the staffing profiles of the Schools and the integration of academic plans with the fundraising priorities of the 800th Campaign.

ACADEMIC STANDARDS AND QUALITY ENHANCEMENT 2. Internal and national arrangements for quality assurance 2.1 The Board undertook the following reviews of institutions during the year: Faculty of English; Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic; Department of Veterinary Medicine; Centre of International Studies; Institute of Criminology; and Department of Chemistry. Through the Education Committee the reports of the following reviews were considered and implemented: the Faculties of English and of History; the Departments of Earth Sciences, Materials Science and Metallurgy, and Pharmacology; and a review of Part III courses in the Natural Sciences Tripos. The Board considered the reports of reviews of the Cambridge Programme for Industry and the Faculty of Oriental Studies. The review of the Faculty of Oriental Studies generated a set of very significant recommendations, for both the reorganisation of the Faculty and reform of its teaching provision, implementation of which is being overseen by a special Advisory Group of the Board, chaired by the Pro-ViceChancellor (Education). A Report to the University will be published in the Lent Term 2007.

2.2 The Board, with the Board of Graduate Studies, has also revised the systems for the local and University-level consideration of the reports of External Examiners, a key component of the University’s quality assurance mechanisms.

2.3 The Board’s Education Committee continued its scrutiny of reports produced by professional, regulatory, and statutory bodies and considered the reports of the Royal Institute of British Architects (on the Department of

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2.4

2.5

2.6

2.7

Architecture) and of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (on the Department of Chemical Engineering), which both commented favourably on these Departments’ teaching.

In common with all other universities, the University was subject to a one-off Special Review of Research Degree Programmes organised by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) which concluded that the University’s ability to secure and enhance the quality and standards of its research degree programmes was ‘appropriate and satisfactory’. A Code of Practice for research degrees was approved for publication in 2006–07.

The Board in conjunction with the University’s Audit Committee undertook an internal review of the University’s collaborative educational provision (i.e. provision offered in partnership with other organisations). Such provision was highlighted as an area for attention in the last QAA Institutional Audit and considerable effort has since been put into managing the attendant risks. The findings will help to inform future policy in this area.

The Board’s Education Committee has started the planning for the University’s next QAA Institutional Audit which will take place in the Lent Term 2008. The process will place a greater emphasis on enhancement of quality and the Education Committee is considering how best its assurance procedures can contribute to quality enhancement.

The Board continued to participate in HEFCE’s quality assurance initiatives, despite its reservations about the utility and cost-effectiveness of certain measures, including the provision of information for the national Teaching Quality Information (TQI) website and facilitating the participation of final year undergraduates in the National Student Survey. Once again, the overall student response rate (of 28%) was too low to permit publication of the University’s ratings by HEFCE on the TQI website, except in the case of the Education Tripos.

3. Teaching, learning, and assessment 3.1 A Pedagogic Support Steering Group, with the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education as Chair, was appointed to scope the University’s needs for pedagogic support and report to the Board in the Lent Term 2007.

3.2 The University has successfully bid to HEFCE for a further tranche of HEFCE Teaching Quality Enhancement Funding (of over £500,000 a year for three years) which will support certain staff development and community outreach activities, as well as the objectives of the University’s revised Learning and Teaching Strategy. One such objective is to explore how the activities of current contributors to pedagogic support (including the Centre for Applied Research in Educational Technologies (CARET), the Disability Resource Centre, the Education Section of the Academic Division, the Language Centre, and the Staff Development Section of the Personnel Division) can be better co-ordinated and enhanced for the benefit of Faculties and Departments.

3.3 The Board’s Education Committee continues to work closely with the Senior Tutors’ Committee, for example in carrying forward the University’s responsibilities to encourage undergraduate students to participate in Personal Development Planning (PDP). Building on last year’s PDP survey and pilot, a PDP website, using CamTOOLs, has been set up and widely publicised. A pilot for the personal development programme, Navigator, has been undertaken for male undergraduates as a counterpart to the Springboard programme available to female undergraduates.

3.4 The final research project commissioned by the Joint Committee on Academic Performance, ‘The undergraduate experience among three ethnic minority groups’, was completed and a summary of the findings published in March 2006 (Reporter, 2005–06, p479). The Board was satisfied by the project’s generally positive findings, and they record their gratitude to the Joint Committee for its valuable work over the years.

3.5 The implementation of a Good Practice Strategy continued in 2005–06 through the Learning and Teaching Support (LTS) initiative, which hosted five well-attended events covering a range of topics relating to enhancement of learning and teaching. Supporting material for the events was provided through a forum tool, accessible by all members of the University.

4. Degrees, courses, and examinations 4.1 New postgraduate courses approved during 2005–06, included: MPhil courses in Public Health, in Russian Studies, and in Screen Media and Culture; an MSt course in the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations (in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations); and a Certificate of Postgraduate Study in Astronomy. The Board also approved the introduction or revision of a number of programmes offered by the Institute of Continuing Education and the Cambridge Programme for Industry. The Board expects their engagement with such courses to develop further, following consideration of a strategic report on the whole range of Cambridge’s lifelong learning provision, prepared by the Council for Lifelong Learning at the end of the academical year.

4.2 The most significant changes to the regulations for Tripos, MPhil, and other examinations approved were: the introduction of a new subject in Part II of the Natural Sciences Tripos, arising from the establishment of the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience; changes to the regulations for the Bachelor of Theology; and the introduction of regulations to enable students to progress from a Postgraduate Certificate in Education to study for the MEd Degree.

4.3 The Board, through an officer group chaired by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Personnel), kept in close touch with Chairmen of Examiners during the examinations and marking and classing period, so as to monitor the likely impact of industrial action by members of the AUT (subsequently, the UCU). In the event, that impact was limited, thanks to a settlement reached in June 2006. The Board is most grateful for the efforts of all concerned who ensured that examinations were concluded in time for General Admission to proceed smoothly.

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5. Policy consultation and development 5.1 The Board was active in reviewing a number of key University policies during 2005–06, particularly the development of a revised Learning and Teaching Strategy, to be finalised in the Michaelmas Term 2006. They have also reviewed provision of non-Tripos teaching of languages and revised policies and procedures for detecting and dealing with plagiarism in examinations. The Board also consulted Faculties and Departments on their practices for the assessment of undergraduate students. The information gathered through the consultation has aided the Board in responding to a national consultation of the future of classing of undergraduate degrees and the introduction of a national credit framework. It also informed the development of University transcripts, now provided routinely to all students on graduation.

6. International matters 6.1 The Reports of two Working Parties, on International Academic Relations, and a second on International Student Recruitment, Selection and Support, were endorsed by the Board and published in May 2006 (Reporter, 2005–06, pp614 and 623 respectively). In line with the Working Parties’ recommendations, the International Office has now broadened its remit to include support for the University’s wider international activities, particularly with regard to strategic academic links, and the development of regional- or country-specific strategies.

7. Graduate education 7.1 The Board’s Review Committee for Graduate Education, jointly chaired by the Pro-Vice-Chancellors for Education and Research, has continued to work through its considerable remit during the year, paying particular attention to the organisation of graduate education across the University and to questions of fees and funding, directed towards ensuring that the University is able to recruit, and support, the most academically able graduate students.

7.2 The Board of Graduate Studies integrated its operations fully with the CamSIS database; a timely, efficient admissions service has been achieved and progress made improving services for current students and their supervisors. That Board has assumed responsibility for the management of the Overseas Research Studentships Scheme (ORSAS), including making the final decision on awards; this has enabled decisions to be announced much earlier than previously.

7.3 A full Report by the Board of Graduate Studies will be published at the end of the current calendar year.

Planning and Resources 8. University finance 8.1 The Board, through the Planning and Resources Committee (a joint committee of the Council and the Board), has played an active part in the consideration of the annual budget and the financial planning process. They note the cautiously optimistic remarks in the Council’s Allocations Report about the overall financial position of the University. Contributing to that is the discipline engendered by the annual planning framework, which provides a structured process for reconciling aspirations with expected resources and gives Schools a financial basis for future planning.

8.2 A significant contribution to the expected improvement in the financial position of the University comes from the additional income expected to flow through the adoption of Full Economic Costing (FEC) for research, and the consequential increased flow of funds, particularly for Research Council funded projects. This has involved a major project overseen by the Research Policy Committee involving the Planning and Resource Allocation Office (PRAO), the Research Services Division (RSD), the Finance Division, and the Management Information Services Division (MISD). While not without implementation problems, the new approach is beginning to be embedded within the University’s research community. Further work remains to be done during 2006–07.

8.3 Increasingly important in dealing with sponsors and funding bodies is having a robust mechanism for breaking down costs between teaching, research, and other activities. A key element in that is the periodic survey which has been done of academic staff time. In order to keep the information it provides as up to date as possible, that exercise will now happen every year, but the sampling frequency will be reduced so that academic staff should experience the same number of surveys, but spread more evenly over their career.

9. Capital programmes 9.1 The most substantial project initiated in the year was the proposed establishment of an institute for the study of plant diversity and development with substantial external funding from the Gatsby Foundation for a new building and continuing operational costs. Following the approval of the first stage Report on the building (Reporter, 2005–06, p885), work is now proceeding with both the design of the building and the Institute’s academic programmes.

9.2 The HEFCE capital funding programmes, Science Research Investment Fund round 2 (SRIF 2) and Project Capital 3 (Learning & Teaching), were both closed at the end of March 2006. The University used its full allocation in both cases and has virtually completed both programmes, having only five of about 93 projects waiting to be signed off.

9.3 As reported last year the University was allocated £77,588,676 by HEFCE in their ‘Capital funding for learning and teaching, research and infrastructure’ programme 2006–08. Of this, £68,761,055 was allocated specifically 21

9.4

9.5

for research infrastructure while the balance of £8,827,621 was for learning and teaching. Implementation of the programme, and expenditure on the projects supported, is well advanced.

HEFCE have subsequently made two additional capital funding streams available: (i) ‘Additional research capital funding 2006–07 and 2007–08’, from which the University has been allocated an amount of £3,289,627 for each of the two years. (ii) ‘Additional capital funding for learning and teaching 2006–08’, with the University’s allocation being £1,524,572.

Thus HEFCE have made available to the University total capital funding of £85,692,502 to be spent over the two years 2006–07 and 2007–08. The future of these schemes is not guaranteed, given the changes in national funding policies. The Board is concerned that the provision of a dedicated capital funding scheme from HEFCE for allocation in accordance with institutional priorities and plans should be retained and preferably incorporated in the HEFCE block grant.

10. Establishment of Professorships 10.1 As a result of generous benefactions raised through the 800th Campaign, or other external funds, the Board proposed the establishment of the following new Professorships: • the His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Professorship of Modern Arabic Studies in the Faculty of Oriental Studies; • the Sigrid Rausing Professorship of Collaborative Anthropology in the Department of Social Anthropology; • the Moran Professorship of Conservation and Development in the Department of Geography; • the Winton Professorship of the Public Understanding of Risk in the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics; • the Herchel Smith Professorship of Molecular Biology in the Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience; • the Miriam Rothschild Professorship of Conservation Biology in the Department of Zoology; • the Genzyme Professorship of Experimental Medicine in the Department of Medicine; • a Professorship of Management Studies, to be held concurrently with the Directorship of the Judge Institute of Management, in Judge Business School; • a Professorship of Financial Policy, associated with the Directorship of the Cambridge Endowment for Research in Finance, in Judge Business School.

10.2 The following Professorships were established with the support of prestigious awards from the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, and the Royal Society, respectively: • a Professorship of Stem Cell Biology in the Department of Biochemistry; • a Professorship of Molecular Immunology in the Department of Pathology; • a Royal Society Professorship of Chemical Biology in the Department of Chemistry.

10.3 In addition, the following Professorships were established supported on general University funds by the reallocation of funding within the Schools concerned: • a Professorship of Historical Anthropology (tied to the Directorship of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology) in the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology; • a Professorship of Law in the Faculty of Law; • a Professorship of Politics in the Department of Politics; • a Professorship of Systems Biology and Biochemistry in the Department of Biochemistry; • a Professorship of Comparative Immunogenetics in the School of the Biological Sciences; • a Professorship of Statistics in the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics.

10.4 Professorships of Applied Mathematics, Physics, and Veterinary Science were established in advance of the retirement of existing Professors in the relevant Departments as part of the planning for the 2008 RAE. 11. Research policy and the Research Assessment Exercise 11.1 The Board is advised on policy issues arising from the funding and conduct of research within the University by its Research Policy Committee. The year 2005–06 was dominated by two major themes as well as the implementation of FEC (Full Economic Costing). The Committee reviewed and proposed the new policy on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) which received its approval on 15 December 2005. The Committee has established a small working group which is engaged in identifying the scope and extent of research ethics committees across the University, and to make recommendations to the Board in the Lent Term 2007.

11.2 The Board is closely monitoring the planning and preparation of the University’s submission for the 2008 RAE. On the strategic side, the Board approved measures, including the proleptic filling of vacant offices, which should enhance the University’s return in a range of disciplines. Operationally the Board has approved policies and procedures in the light of the 2008 RAE assessment process and further guidance from HEFCE. This has required the production of a University RAE Equality Code of Practice, drawn up in consultation with the Chairmen of the Councils of the Schools, which will govern the preparation of the University’s RAE return.

Equality briefing sessions have also been run for those who will have decision-making responsibilities in the preparation of RAE submissions; and a University-wide policy governing the operation of RAE selection committees at the local Unit of Assessment level has been devised and documented. All documentation is available on the University’s RAE website (www.rae.cam.ac.uk).

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11.3

11.4

Good working arrangements have been established between Faculties and Departments and the RAE administrative team based in the Old Schools. In view of the uncertainty over the release date of the Funding Councils’ RAE database, and as an insurance against the software problems experienced in earlier exercises, a local Excel-based system has been devised to enable data to be entered now. It is hoped that the transfer to the web-based system will be effected centrally during the course of Lent Term 2007. A timetable for the submission of draft RAE returns has been published which will allow the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Chairmen of the Councils of the Schools the opportunity to undertake a full review.

The Board formulated the University’s response to the propsals by the Department for Education and Skills for a move to a metrics-based system for the assessment of research quality.

12. Personnel 12.1 Following approval of the proposals of the Council and the General Board concerning the pay and grading of non-clinical University staff, throughout the academical year the focus of much of the work of the Personnel Committee has been on an extensive programme of implementation which is nearing completion. The General Board wishes to express its thanks to University staff, heads and administrators of institutions, and trades union representatives for their hard work in this process.

13. Health and Safety 13.1 The Board receives assurance and advice on performance in health and safety principally via the Health and Safety Executive Committee (HSEC). The Annual Report of that Committee has been approved and is awaiting publication in the Reporter.

13.2 The Board notes with concern that visits and attention from all enforcement agencies, predominantly the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency, have continued at a high level, with consequent implications for time commitments of staff, both safety specialists and in Faculties and Departments. It is of the utmost importance that all staff and students maintain a high level of awareness of, and attention to, safety issues through active engagement in programmes of audit, staff development, and training, as well as numerous less formal interactions at Faculty and Department level.

13.3 New legislation was introduced in radiological safety, noise, vibration, and work at heights, and the control measures required by these regulations were implemented during 2005–06, as were arrangements to ensure compliance with the Human Tissue Act. 13.4 ‘Licencing’ in the broadest sense applies to an increasing range of work at the University. Thus, in 2005–06, the Health and Safety Division applied for, and maintained on behalf of the University, more than 30 licences for registrations and work connected with safety. This increase reflects government strategy and the enhanced security and counter-terrorist measures, both of which impact on departmental operational practices.

14. Libraries 14.1 The Board’s Committee on Libraries has been pleased to note the success of the scheme for the co-ordination of journals, piloted in the Schools of the Biological and Physical Sciences. Much of the duplication of expensive science titles has been eliminated and plans to extend the scope of the scheme to other Schools are underway.

Discussions about the duplication of journals between the Colleges and between the Colleges and the University have begun, which may lead to the inclusion of College Libraries in the scheme.

14.2 The potential of the ebooks project for developing delivery of undergraduate study materials across all subjects has been recognised and is supported by a growing number of Colleges. In addition, the project has received a significant pledge of funding from the Isaac Newton Trust.

14.3 The Committee has continued its rolling programme of visits to Faculty and Departmental libraries in the University, and is pleased to report continuing evidence that a very good service is being provided.

14 November 2006 Alison Richard, Vice-Chancellor John Bell Tom Blundell William Brown H A Chase M J Daunton Richard Friend Jacob Head

Richard Hunter D W B MacDonald Melveena McKendrick K Mohaddes Roger Parker Patrick Sissons I H White

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