Research Performance Index (RPI)
The 2009 RPI Round has now closed. Congratulations to the 108 groups who participated.
The Research Performance Index (RPI) is an initiative run annually to reward researchers for research excellence and scholarship. The RPI scheme allocates funds based on both performance inputs (external research grants) and outputs (publications, successful postgraduate research supervision etc) in the preceding year.
The RPI also provides a mechanism for collecting data that must be submitted by Curtin to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) under the Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC). Research income and research publication information is reported to the Department and utilised, along with data collected from the Higher Education Student Collection, for determining performance based funding from the Australian Government, the Institutional Grant Scheme , Research Training Scheme , Research Infrastructure Block Grant , and the Australian Postgraduate Awards Scheme.
The link to Curtin Expectations 2006 - 2008 RPI Performance can be found here.
Login to the SCRIPT Database for the RPI System.
RPI Updates
RPI Update is a publication from the Office of Research and Development to keep you up to date with progress regarding the RPI. RPI Updates are available from RPI Update section of the ORD Publications webpage.
Guidelines
The Scheme is open to Curtin researchers who have made a quantifiable research contribution, and who are either part of an existing, or newly formed, RPI Group. Only activity that can be classified as research, and which occurred in the preceding calendar year, can be claimed under RPI.
For the purposes of the RPI, research is defined as creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications. Such activity necessarily involves an appreciable element of novelty (innovation), uncertainty with respect to outcomes, potential for publication of outcomes in peer-reviewed scholarly media and/or a high level of technical risk.
Detailed information on the RPI is available in the RPI 2009 Round Specifications. These specifications should be read in conjunction with the 2009 Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC) specifications released by the Federal Government.
All groups wishing to participate in the 2009 round of RPI were to register with the Office of Research and Development prior to Friday 6th February 2009, using the RPI Registration form. The 2009 Round of RPI opened on Friday 13th February 2009 and closes on 31 March 2009. In the meantime, please note that you should be ensuring that your 2008 publications and research projects have been entered into SCRIPT. This can be done throughout the year. Training Guides for the Research Project and Publications modules are available to assist you. An RPI Training Guide for the Research Groups/RPI module is also available.
The RPI System
The RPI functionality was transferred fully to the SCRIPT Database for the 2008 round onwards. The SCRIPT Database can be accessed here. Only registered users may access the system, and information will be restricted based on permission levels.
Results from pre-2008 RPI rounds
Results from pre-2008 RPI rounds are available on the old RPI system. This system read only and is for archival purposes only. If you require to access to it, please contact Pia Meehan on 9266 4245 or via p.meehan@curtin.edu.au.
Spending RPI Funds
Funds generated by RPI points may effectively be regarded as Institutional Grants Scheme (IGS) funds. In accordance with the advice from the Department of Education and Employment Workplace Relations (DEEWR), IGS funds may be used on any activity that is related to research.
All funds generated by RPI points will be allocated to special 'D' cost centres which will be confirmed by the Office of Research and Development prior to allocation. RPI groups should endeavour to expend all funds allocated under the RPI within the calendar year that they were awarded.
