SUMMARY
In our 2004 report we recommended that the University of Alberta improve the integration of research into its strategic business plans. In 2008, we concluded the university had made progress, but had not implemented our recommendation.
The university has now implemented our recommendation.
What we examined
We used the following criteria to assess the university’s progress in implementing the recommendation.
The university should:
- identify key performance measures and targets for each strategy in its business plan
- consider the cost of achieving targets in its budget allocations
- ensure that faculties and research administrative units include the university’s research performance measures and targets in their plans and set out in clear, consistent terms how they will help meet the targets
What we found
We found that the university has implemented our recommendation by:
- integrating its research priorities into the university’s strategic business planning processes
- developing consistent research performance measures and processes to monitor research results
- measuring research performance against planned goals and strategies
- periodically reviewing performance measures, including research measures, to ensure they remain relevant and aligned to the university’s goals
Why this is important to Albertans
The university’s research activities make a significant contribution to Alberta’s economy and to the quality of life for all Albertans. Without specific strategies for identifying and measuring its research performance, the university risks not meeting its research goals.