Presentation by Anne Sofield from Towards an integrated research management digital ecosystem event May 2021

1. UKRI’s Simpler and Better
Funding Programme (SBF)
Anne Sofield, SBF Programme Director
Jisc– Towardsan integratedresearchmanagementdigital
ecosystem
26 May 2021

2. Simpler and Better Funding
We will simplify and improve our systems and processes to
deliver the best value to the UK investing in the best people
and ideas:
 An easy-to-use interface for applicants to find
opportunities, apply for them and report outcomes,
reducing administrative burden.
 Efficient and effective tools and processes to manage the
whole funding lifecycle from opportunity to outcomes and
impact, harmonised across domains by default.
 Effort redirected from transactional activity to supporting
users and domain specific tasks allowing for future
growth in UKRI funding.
 Tools and processes designed to be used by and bring in
a diverse user community with support available at all
stages of the process.
An integrated
research and
innovation system that
delivers for everyone:
• researchers and
innovators
• their organisations
• UKRI itself

3. Independent review into UK
research bureaucracy
• Identify why bureaucracy has increased across
the UK’s research system
• Provide recommendations to help reduce time-
consuming administrative demands.
• Balance safeguarding the need to demonstrate
impact and value for money while supporting the
UK research environment
Led by:
Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-
Chancellor of the University of
Sussex
Supported by:
Challenge Panel with diverse
representation from across the
research system.
• Interim findings: Autumn 2021
• Final conclusions: early 2022

4. Reducing Bureaucracy: UKRI 13 priority areas
Selection and
assessment process
• Simplified funding eligibility
criteria
• Streamlined grant
schemes
• Simplified two-stage
application process
• Single enhanced CV format
for researchers
• Funding service based on
a new digital platform
• Single funding
call document
Assurance and
capturing outcomes
• Harmonised UKRI and
partner reporting
• Simplified outcomes
monitoring and
reporting
• Improved
FundingAssurance
• Simplified End of Award
process
Broader systems
and activities
• Bureaucracy costs
calculated
• Data asked for
only once
• TRAC reviewed and
improved with OfS

5. A funding service based on a new
digital platform
• This service will make it easier for applicants to
collaborate, submit applications and obtain
guidance in a joined-up way
• We will gradually extend the scope and capability
of the service to replace all our existing grant
systems
• Currently designing increasingly complex
functionality designed around what applicants,
research offices and assessors need
• Through pilots and user research we will continue
this pattern of evidence based evolution and
continuous improvement

6. Benefits to research
organisations
• early visibility of applications
• rights to access, edit, manage and approve
applications
• better access for collaborators beyond RO
• dashboards showing the progress of
applications
• notification of decisions
• visibility of feedback
• ability to interact with external data sources and
tools.
We want to ensure that
data is only collected
once, reused often and
captured at the right
stage when needed.

7. Engagement
It is the people working across the broad
spectra of research and innovation, who
are at the heart of any changes.
We are therefore:
• inviting input in consultations
• working together to co-create solutions
• testing that those solutions work for
users.
Queries SBF@ukri.org Participate in user research https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/H6XW8PW

8. Thank you
AnneSofield, SBF ProgrammeDirector
Contact SBF@ukri.org