Performance Based Research Fund

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The Performance Based Research Fund is a New Zealand tertiary education funding process, assessing the research performance of tertiary education organisations (TEOs) and then funding them on the basis of their performance.

Between 2004 and 2007 the PBRF is progressively replacing the current EFTS (equivalent full-time student) 'top-up' funding for research. The PBRF model has three elements to:

reward and encourage the quality of researchers—60 percent of the fund
reflect research degree completions—25 percent of the fund
reflect external research income—15 percent of fund

[edit] Quality evaluation

The major element, the Quality Evaluation, is held periodically. The first was held in 2003 and the second, a partial round (not all staff are required to submit portfolios), is being held in 2006. The next full round is scheduled for 2012. However, experience with the 2003 round, and developments in Australia and the United Kingdom suggest that the 2012 round may, in the event, not occur.

Each Qualify Evaluation assesses the quality of research conducted at TEOs, and funding is allocated accordingly. Quality is determined by an assessment of research degree completion numbers, the amount of external research funding an institution achieves, and an evaluation of the individual research performance of all academic staff teaching on degrees or employed to conduct research.

Each academic staff member is required (with some exceptions) to submit an Evidence Portfolio which records their research outputs, contribution to research environment, and peer esteem. They are then assessed as A, B, C or R category. The A indicates international standing, B national, C local and R research inactive or active at a lower level.

From 2006 two new categories, C(NE) and R(NE) were introduced, for new and emerging researchers who have not yet had the benefit of a full six year census period. Each staff member is assigned a numerical grade (in 2006 5 for an A, 3 for a B, 1 for a C or C (NE), and 0 for R and R (NE)). This is used to calculate an overall score. Since the numerical scores assigned for the 2003 assessment and that for the 2007 assessment differed, the results of the two assessments are not entirely comparable, despite the 2007 assessment being designed to be a partial round.

In asssessing individuals PBRF differs from the otherwise similar Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) in the United Kingdom.

[edit] New Zealand universities

PBRF rankings of New Zealand universities, as of 2003:

Rank	University	No. of staff	Quality score
1	Auckland	1411.8	3.96
2	Canterbury	590.1	3.83
3	Victoria	579.3	3.39
4	Otago	1174.9	3.23
5	Waikato	536.3	2.98
6	Lincoln	195.3	2.56
7	Massey	1225.8	2.11
8	AUT	567.7	0.77
	National average		2.59

Note: the number of staff and the quality score are weighted for full-time equivalents.
The national average includes non-university TEOs.
Three non-university TEOs rank between Massey University and the Auckland University of Technology:
- Carey Baptist College (Staff: 8.6, Score: 1.16)
- Anamata (Staff: 2, Score: 1.00)
- Bible College of New Zealand (Staff: 17.9, Score: 0.83)

All of these however are small compared to the others, and their results can be regarded as insignificant.

Source: [1] (PDF), Fig. 5.2, p. 49, accessed 11 January 2006; also Performance-Based Research Fund - Evaluating Research Excellence: the 2003 assessment