Despite the apparent gap in the ways teaching and research are addressed in higher education policies and funding models, several recent policy initiatives  have been introduced nationally and internationally to try to redress the situation. Taken together, they represent important developments in the growing recognition that research and teaching are critical and complementary processes in higher education.

National performance-based funding for learning and teaching: Australia
The Australian Learning and Teaching Performance Fund was introduced in 2003 to reward ‘higher education providers that best demonstrate excellence in learning and teaching…as part of the Government’s renewed focus on teaching quality in Australian universities’ (DEEWR LTPF website, 2008: http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/higher_education/policy_issues_reviews/key_issues/learning_teaching/ltpf/). The Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) administers the initiative.

This performance-based funding is determined on the basis of indicators that revolve around student satisfaction, graduate student survey responses and undergraduate attrition and progression indicators. The exercise results in a ranking of Australian universities. In 2006 the primary unit of analysis shifted from institution-based to discipline-based funding. Nevertheless, the focus remains on funding based on institutional performance related to student satisfaction and outcome indicators.

Legislating recognition for the teaching-research nexus: New Zealand
The New Zealand Education Amendment Act (1990) states that “university teaching and research should be interdependent and that most of the teaching should be by those who are active in advancing knowledge.”  New Zealand's Academic Audit Unit "is required to audit not only the research policies and procedures of the university, but also how it links research and teaching, and the effect of this link" (Woodhouse 1998, 39). Michael Cullen (Tertiary Education Minister, 2006) recently suggested lifting the requirement that degrees must be taught by people involved in research.

Professional Standards Framework for Teaching and Supporting Learning in Higher Education: UK
The UK Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning in higher education has been developed for institutions to apply to their professional development programs and activities. Higher education institutions use this framework as the basis for demonstrating that professional standards for teaching and learning are being met.
The standards framework attaches value to “integration of scholarship, research and professional activities with teaching and supporting learning”. Academic staff are required to demonstrate “The ability to incorporate research, scholarship and/or professional practice into … activities”. (http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/regandaccr/StandardsFramework.pdf)

National Quality Enhancement Theme - Research-Teaching Links: Scotland
The Scottish Quality Assurance Agency identifies national enhancement themes around which all Scottish universities develop activities in the form of project-based initiatives. In 2006, ‘research-teaching links’ has been identified as one of these quality enhancement themes (http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/themes/ResearchTeaching/default.asp). Over a two year period, the Scottish higher education sector will identify strategies for enhancing links between research and teaching, and how these can be maximised to enhance the achievement of graduate attributes
(http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/themes/ResearchTeaching/attributes.asp).

Many of these initiatives have been documented and compiled by Professor Mick Healey (May 2008). His generosity in sharing these resources is gratefully acknowledged.

National support for promoting the TRN

England: Some of the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s (HEFCE) Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs) are focused on inquiry and research-based learning
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/cetl
HEFCE established 74 CETLS in 2005 each of which received up to £2.35m capital and £0.5m recurrent expenditure pa for five years.  Several are centrally concerned with aspects of the teaching-research nexus:

1. University of Gloucestershire, the Centre for Active Learning in Geography, Environment and Related Disciplines (www.glos.ac.uk/ceal/)
2. University of Manchester, Centre for Excellence in Enquiry-Based Learning (www.manchester.ac.uk/ceebl)
3. University of Oxford Centre for Excellence in Preparing for Academic Practice (http://www.learning.ox.ac.uk/oli.php?page=196)
4. University of Reading Centre for Excellence in Teaching & Learning in Applied Undergraduate Research Skills (http://www.rdg.ac.uk/cdotl/cetl-aurs/) 
5. University of Sheffield, Centre for Inquiry-based Learning in the Arts and Social Sciences (CILASS) (http://www.shef.ac.uk/cilass/)
6. University of Surrey, Surrey Centre for Excellence in Professional Training and Education (SCEPTrE) (http://portal.surrey.ac.uk/portal/page?_pageid=1218,1&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL)
7. Universities of Warwick and Oxford Brookes, The Reinvention Centre for Undergraduate Research http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/sociology/research/cetl/

UK: The Higher Education Academy has recognised supporting the research-teaching nexus is a priority
They have sponsored a number of initiatives including:

• Administering the Research Teaching Forum http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/RTForum.htm
• Organising a national conference in 2005 ‘The Teaching and Research Relationship: Developing Institutional Policy and Practice’ http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/3849.htm and another in 2006 on ‘Bringing Research and Teaching Together’ http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/events/176_4752.htm
• Funding a project on ‘Developing teaching research links through the disciplines’ http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/850.htm; http://www.brookes.ac.uk/genericlink/; which covered five main subject centres; a follow-up project is collecting discipline-based case studies and interpretative essays in most of the remaining subject centres under the SNAS programme http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/990.htm
• Funding five projects on ‘How do academics in different discipline areas conceptualise, understand and develop the relationships between discipline-based research and teaching?’ http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/4493.htm. 

Australia: Australian Learning and Teaching Council http://www.altc.edu.au/carrick/go/home/grants/pid/49
The ALTC identified the nexus between teaching and research as an issue of emerging and continuing importance for funding in 2006-08 in the competitive grants programme. This includes several projects including this one.

US: Reinvention Center
http://www.reinventioncenter.miami.edu/  
The Reinvention Center at Miami is a national center focusing on undergraduate education at research universities,including supporting undergraduate research. The Center was born of the excitement and intense national and international interest generated by the Boyer Commission Report, Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America's Research Universities (1998).

US: Council for Undergraduate Research (CUR)
http://www.cur.org./
The mission of the Council on Undergraduate Research is to support and promote high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship.  The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) and its affiliated colleges, universities, and individuals share a focus on providing undergraduate research opportunities for faculty and students at predominantly undergraduate institutions.  CUR believes that faculty members enhance their teaching and contribution to society by remaining active in research and by involving undergraduates in research.

US: National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR)
http://www.ncur.org//basics/index.htm
Holds an annual three-day conference of (mainly) student presenters, which has become a national celebration of undergraduate scholarly activity involving all academic disciplines and all institutions of higher education.  NCUR's annual conferences also include sessions for faculty members and administrators to discuss starting, supporting, or maintaining departmental or institutional undergraduate research programs.

US: Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL)
http://cirtl.wceruw.org/
CIRTL promotes the development of a national faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) committed to implementing and advancing effective teaching practices for diverse student audiences as part of their professional careers.  CIRTL is designing, implementing, and evaluating programs for STEM future faculty development. Present and future STEM faculty create, offer, and evaluate these programs, in partnership with colleagues from the social sciences.  CIRTL is also creating a network of research universities that will extend the development and implementation of such programs.

The Pillars of CIRTL: Teaching-as-Research, Learning Communities, and Learning-through-Diversity underlie all CIRTL activities.  The network is run from Wisconsin-Maddison.  Current other members are: Howard University, Michigan State University, The Pennsylvania State University and University of Colorado at Boulder.  The CIRTL Network will grow to ten universities between 2006 and 2007.  Expansion of the CIRTL Network to all interested universities will follow.

National research schemes to foster undergraduate research

US: National Science Foundation (NSF) grant applicants must demonstrate their experience of engagement with pedagogy and service
(http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2003/nsf032/start.htm Section II c) 2 f iv)
All Senior Project Personnel applying to the NSF in the United States have to complete a section under the bibliographic sketch entitled ‘synergistic activities’.  This involves listing:

 ‘up to five examples that demonstrate the broader impact of the individual’s professional and scholarly activities that focuses on the integration and transfer of knowledge as well as its creation.  Examples could include, among others: innovations in teaching and training (e.g., development of curricular materials and pedagogical methods); contributions to the science of learning; … broadening the participation of groups underrepresented in science, mathematics, engineering and technology; and service to the scientific and engineering community outside of the individual’s immediate organization.’ 

This is potentially a powerful lever for change.  There is anecdotal evidence from top research institutions in the States that this requirement is leading to greater recognition of research staff with a strong public service and teaching ethos and in some cases has led to departments re-designing the organisation of research bidding so that staff with strong expertise in dissemination are firmly based into bidding teams.

Ireland: Science Foundation for Ireland (SFI) sponsor undergraduate research experience and knowledge awards (UREKA)
(http://www.sfi.ie/content/content.asp?section_id=505&language_id=1)
SFI’s Undergraduate Research Experience & Knowledge Award (UREKA) Program offers undergraduate students the opportunity to work in research and to acquire a range of scientific skills during a ten to twelve week period during the summer.  Students conduct an independent research project within a cutting edge research group. Students participating in a UREKA site also attend a variety of events to further develop the skills needed for a career in research.  The program offers students from Ireland and abroad an opportunity for interaction with world-class scientists and engineers.  SFI currently funds eleven UREKA sites at academic institutions throughout the country.

Ireland: The Program for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) places great emphasis on developing sustainable strategies for Teaching & Learning, Research and Knowledge Transfer (www.hea.ie/index.cfm/page/sub/id/448)
Improving Ireland’s research capacity is a major Government priority and the Strategy for Science Technology and Innovation (SSTI) launched in 2006 aims to develop an international profile for Ireland as a premier location for carrying out world-class research and development.  The Program for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) encourages expansion of research in the higher-education system and also enables the education of researchers who will work throughout the economy and society.

Applicant institutions are required to demonstrate a sustainable strategic and planned approach to the long-term development of their teaching and knowledge transfer capabilities. Statements on their teaching & learning, and knowledge transfer strategies have to be submitted and their track record in these areas is assessed by international experts.  An implementation plan for future teaching and research linkages is required and site visits are conducted by international peer reviewers to assess the viability of their plans. 

Each PRTLI programme is three years in duration and institutions can submit projects in any discipline.  There have been four PRTLI cycles to date with €835 million awarded to innovative research and infrastructural projects across the areas of biopharmaceutical, medicine, food science, the creative arts, technologies, humanities, and climate change.

UK: Research Councils UK sponsor Fellowship Awards to support postdoctorates to develop career paths into teaching and research and move from short term contracts to permanent positions
http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/acfellow/
RCUK have sponsored two rounds of fellowships since 2004.  The Government has provided funds to create up to 1,000 new academic fellowships (200 a year, each lasting five years). Award recipients should have a PhD or be of postdoctoral standing.  Rosie Beales, who coordinates the academic fellowships at RCUK, said “Fellowships should be in areas where a university wants to build research and support individuals.  They should provide a clear path into teaching and research and outreach to schools” (THES 28/4/06).  Typically recipients do an increasing amount of teaching over the course of the fellowship.