Red-tape review is a good start, but testing is crucial

Report from Adam Tickell plots a route to more efficient research, says Simon Kerridge

I was heartened when I heard that Adam Tickell was to head up the Independent Review of Research Bureaucracy. I worked with him as a member of the Universities UK Open Access Coordination Group, which he led, and found him to be thoughtful and inclusive, inviting ideas and perspectives from different areas.

However, when the makeup of the review’s challenge group was revealed, I was slightly perturbed that it seemed heavy on research leaders, and light on the research managers and administrators who actually need to make the system work. High-level reviews such as this often make the mistake of focusing on the big picture and overlooking the nitty gritty of implementation.