Introduction

This chapter reviews a number of aspects of the development of a strategic approach to research. The emphasis is on approach, not on output, and especially not on the kind of research strategy document that, with the next research assessment exercise (RAE) a couple of years away, is typically presented for the consideration of a university's academic community. A strategic approach to the promotion of research is possible, but it has to be based on a sensible appreciation of the academic marketplace, on a realistic estimation of feasible futures, and on a sensitive balancing of the unstable tensions that characterize an academic community. Developing the culture and processes that sustain a research-led university or department is an intellectual, and not a 'mere' managerial challenge. Those who can address it with insight and concern have little to dread in the coming research assessment exercise.