Major Academic Initiatives

The MAI process is primarily intended for use in relation to non-standard teaching activities, the establishment of new academic entities and large scale research ventures, although it has been applied to other initiatives which have an impact across the School (e.g. the implications of the change in the structure of the teaching year).

Standard teaching programmes are of a defined length (three or four years for undergraduate, one or two years for taught postgraduate) and are delivered by LSE academic staff during the day in term time on the LSE campus.

Teaching programmes falling outside of these parameters can be considered non-standard and the MAI process is likely to apply. Examples of non-standard programmes include Executive MSc programmes, joint degrees, part-time undergraduate programmes and ancillary programmes that deviate from the model already in use.

The MAI process can be used to evaluate the impact of new academic entities such as new Departments and Institutes.

Research ventures involving substantial levels of funding (i.e. more than £5m total income or more than £1m income per annum) or placing significant demands on School resources (e.g. space for more than 5 FTE research staff) are likely to be subject to the MAI process.

The establishment of a new research centre is the most common example of a large scale research venture. All such proposals must comply with the conditions set out in section C7.3 of the Financial Regulations.

The MAI is proposed by an individual, an academic unit or via a School committee. Based on a brief description (akin to Question 1 of the MAI Checklist), the strategic fit of the proposal should be assessed against the School's priorities via the following routes:

For non-standard teaching activities, the MAI should be discussed by the Pro-Directors and appropriate head(s) of academic units during the Annual Monitoring meetings in Michaelmas Term. The Pro-Directors will either reject the proposal or provide support in principle for the MAI to progress to the next stage.

For new academic entities, support for the proposal should be considered at one of the regular meetings of the School Management Committee (SMC).

For research initiatives, the Pro-Director (Research) should decide on whether to support the proposal and report, if necessary, to SMC. If the MAI proposal originates from the SMC or from a committee, then the head(s) of the appropriate academic unit(s) will be consulted and must take the proposal to a departmental meeting to ensure strategic fit with the unit's plans and confirm their support. 

For all MAIs, a Pro-Director should be assigned as sponsor to represent the views of SMC in the development of the MAI and approval process.

A facilitator from the central administration will be identified to work with an academic lead and administrative lead nominated by the academic unit. For non-standard teaching activities and new academic entities, the facilitator will usually be a member of the Planning Division. For large scale research ventures, the facilitator will usually be the Head of Research Development (or a delegate). Facilitation for other initiatives will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the Director of Planning and Chief Financial Officer.

In consultation with the academic and administrative leads, the facilitator will:

(i) Complete the appropriate MAI checklist;

(ii) Consult with staff in the PSDs to review the MAI and feed into the MAI Checklist (via an in-person meeting if necessary);

(iii) Establish a timetable for approval and implementation.

The academic unit must liaise with Finance Division to complete a resource plan for the MAI. This must include all relevant direct and indirect costs and adhere to the principles of full economic costing, as advised by the Chief Financial Officer. 

Typically, external deadlines for research funding can be extremely tight and many applications for funding will be unsuccessful. The facilitator for research initiatives must liaise with Finance Division regarding the resource plan and ensure that all potential costs are included, but can be selective in communicating with other PSDs in the completion of the MAI Checklist depending on the nature of the proposal (this is reflected in the MAI Checklist for research initiatives).

For new academic entities, the completed MAI Checklist should be presented, with any other pertinent information, to SMC for a final decision on whether to support the initiative. 

For research initatives, the Pro-Director (Research) will liaise with the Research Committee (or the Research Development Panel (RDP) to which it has delegated authority) to confirm their approval of the MAI proposal and will confirm that the Chief Financial Officer has reviewed an outline resource plan. (Any issues raised in the finance review must have been addressed satisfactorily and any obvious one-off costs have been identified within the resource plan). 

Proposals for non-standard teaching programmes can progress directly to the appropriate committees for approval once the MAI Checklist resource plan is completed, unless the Pro-Directors have specifically advised that further SMC approval is necessary (e.g., for entirely new modes of teaching or other programmes not matching the format of existing non-standard programmes).

The facilitator will advise on the specific route through the School's committee structure, however all proposals must proceed to and be supported by the Finance and Estates Committee and be included in the overall School budget which will be approved by Council.

The success of any new initiative will be monitored and reviewed through existing mechanisms (e.g., Annual Monitoring) where appropriate. If no such mechanism exists, the appropriate Committee will be asked to advise on monitoring and review arrangements. The facilitator will ensure that the decisions of the committees are communicated back to the academic lead and Service Areas including providing final confirmation when the initiative has been agreed or rejected and confirming future monitoring and review arrangements.

The MAI process was approved by the APRC in October 2015. 

The ongoing development of the MAI process is managed by the Director of Planning, Wayne Tatlow, and overseen by the MAI Project Board. Any queries regarding the MAI policy and process should be directed to w.n.tatlow@lse.ac.uk in the first instance or planning.division@lse.ac.uk.