Invitation 99/35

Chinese studies:

Invitation to bid for special funding

Executive summary

Purpose

1. This document invites higher education institutions (HEIs) to submit proposals for special funding to strengthen and expand provision for teaching and research in Chinese studies. For this purpose, Chinese studies includes not only language provision and area studies in the traditional sense, but teaching and research in any academic discipline specifically in relation to China.

Key Points

2. Up to £1 million a year will be provided for five years, starting in 1999-2000.

3. The majority of the funding will support the development of special centres for postgraduate teaching and research in selected academic disciplines in relation to China. These will offer courses designed to provide graduates with a combination of language skills, knowledge and understanding of contemporary Chinese society and culture, and relevant high-level knowledge and skills in their chosen specialist field.

Action Required

4. Responses should be sent to Vanessa Conte at the HEFCE by 20 August 1999.

Background

5. In 1998 we established a group to review provision for Chinese studies in HE. This was in response to concern, from several quarters, that current provision within the UK system was not keeping pace with national needs for specialised knowledge and advice in this area. It was put to us that, following recent political and economic changes, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) had emerged as a rapidly growing economic and political force on the world stage, and a potential trading partner for the UK of exceptional size and importance. A particular role was identified for the UK HE system in responding to this challenge, but one which it would be unable to play without some specific stimulus.

6. The review group’s findings were published in February 1999 (‘Review of Chinese studies’, HEFCE 99/09). The group’s main conclusions were as follows:

a. The opening up of China requires an exceptional response from the UK HE system, to ensure that UK political and commercial bodies have access to the broad range of expert advice about Chinese affairs that they will need to build up trading and other relations.

b. The major immediate need is for people who combine skills in Chinese languages, and knowledge and understanding of contemporary Chinese society and culture, with high-level skills in a range of specialist fields in relation to China. These people will generally have studied their chosen discipline (for example, engineering or social and political sciences) to at least first degree level before equipping themselves to apply this specifically in relation to China.

c. Although current provision for Chinese languages and Chinese studies in UK HEIs is not unhealthy, it is not on the scale required. Nor is it on anything like the scale of other countries. The effects of resource pressures on small departments in HEIs, and the practical difficulties of pursuing an academic career in Chinese studies, make it desirable to take early action to stabilise existing provision in preparation for expansion in the medium term.

d. The most effective way to ensure an adequate response is to make available special funding, targeted on a limited number of centres, and within these to encourage graduates in a range of disciplines to develop their expertise specifically in relation to China.

7. There are complementary recommendations to bodies responsible for funding postgraduate students and researchers, with special reference to the costs of language tuition and of travel to China.

Scope of funding

8. We are providing up to £1 million a year, for five years starting in 1999-2000, to be distributed mainly as special grants to selected HEIs to strengthen and expand their provision for teaching and research in Chinese studies. This funding will be reviewed in the fifth year. If suitable bids come forward, we envisage allocating around £150,000 a year each to up to six HEIs (or consortia) to support the development of centres specialising in one or more academic disciplines in relation to China (including related provision for the study of Chinese languages and culture). The remainder of the funding will support the acquisition of library materials, and the development of a national database of existing expertise in Chinese studies. These elements are being dealt with separately.

9. In keeping with the vision of the review group, we shall expect the special centres to enable graduates in one or more disciplines to become specialists in those disciplines related to China, through a mixture of taught Masters’ courses, doctoral programmes and research. The centres do not have to be based where there is already provision for Chinese languages. However, they must draw together expertise at a high level in Chinese language, in studies of contemporary China, and in their chosen specialist discipline or disciplines. To this end they should develop and support multi-disciplinary teams which will work together in the long term. This may require collaboration between two or more HEIs to bring together the necessary expertise initially.

10. Our funding might support a range of costs within the centres. The desired eventual outcomes are: expansion in student numbers - primarily taught and research postgraduates ; more research focussed on China; and an increase in the system’s capacity to provide high level consultancy and research advice to business and others. We anticipate that the special funding will be used mainly to create new, permanent academic posts. However, it might also support the initial costs of setting up new provision and, crucially, provide opportunities to undertake research including through research fellowships and travel grants.

11. We have not specified the specialist disciplines in which the centres should operate. The review group saw a need for China specialists across a broad and still developing range of activity focused on commercial, technical, political and strategic concerns. It will be for institutions submitting bids to identify areas of expertise where they believe that a demand for specialised advice and manpower exists, or is developing, and to make the case for support.

12. We recognise that the establishment of such centres will take time. Institutions may need to recruit new staff, and are unlikely to recruit students to academic programmes introduced within the scheme before the autumn of 2000. On the other hand, we shall expect the funded centres to build up their student numbers and research activity, over the five years of special funding, to create units which will continue to make an impact beyond that period.

Applications for funding

13. Bids for funding should specify the following:

a. The providing institution(s) and the location of the proposed centre. For consortia proposals, one bid should be submitted, by the lead institution.

b. The proposed subject discipline coverage, and how this relates to the current teaching and research strengths of the institution(s).

c. The programmes (teaching and research) which it is proposed to establish, the strategy for developing these, and how the special funding will support them (for example, course development costs, creating new posts, research fellowships).

d. Evidence of the specific national economic and manpower or other strategic needs that the provision would meet, including (where appropriate) evidence of support from businesses and other bodies active in these fields.

e. How the provision will increase capacity, including target student numbers by the academic year 2003-04, and the expected profile of build-up to that level.

f. The proposed staffing: what expertise will be deployed and how this will be provided, including in particular the plans for providing language and area studies tuition.

g. How the necessary academic infrastructure (for example, library provision) will be secured.

h. The proposed management arrangements, including the relationship with existing academic departments or units.

i. Clear plans to embed and support the provision beyond the period of special funding.

j. The additional cost of the proposed provision, the amount of grant bid for, and any funding from other sources.

14. The bid should not exceed 10 pages of A4 typescript.

15. All proposals will be assessed competitively, in the light of advice from an expert advisory group. The main factors taken into account will be:

a. The nature and subject coverage of the proposed provision, individually and within the range of the applications collectively, and how this responds to the needs identified by the review group.

b. The strength and realism of the proposals, including how the necessary range of expertise would be secured; the evidence of need for provision in the proposed specialist area; and the track record and current strengths of the providing institution(s).

c. Value for money, in relation to the amount of grant requested and the anticipated outputs.

d. Evidence of the institution’s commitment, including plans for supporting the provision after special funding comes to an end.

16. The group may also consider other factors, such as the management arrangements for the proposed centres and any evidence of support (financial or otherwise) from organisations active in the proposed specialist fields.

Monitoring

17. Institutions receiving special grants under the scheme will be asked to provide annual returns indicating how the money was used and showing progress towards their student number targets.

Timing for proposals

18. Institutions should submit one copy of their bid to Vanessa Conte at the HEFCE, Northavon House, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QD, or electronically to v.conte@hefce.ac.uk, to arrive by midday on 20 August 1999. Proposals received after this deadline may not be considered.

19. We hope to announce the outcome of the bidding process, and to start the special funding, during October 1999.