Page 34 - DUT Annual Report 2024

Key Performance Indicators
2023
2024
Reason/s for Deviation
Target
Achieved (Audited)
Performance
Target
Achieved
Performance
Ratio of instructional and research to support staff
1 : 1.20
1 : 1.35
113%
1 : 1.10
1 : 1.28
116%
The higher than planned ratio of 1:1.28 in 2024 primarily reflects an unanticipated contraction in the academic cohort rather than growth in the support establishment. A number of senior and mid- career researchers left the University during the year
– citing retirement, attractive external offers and, in a few cases, personal relocation – which temporarily reduced
the denominator of the ratio. While replacement posts
were promptly authorised,
the University’s deliberately thorough recruitment protocols (including search committee vetting, equity clearances
and external referee checks) extended the time-to-hire beyond the reporting period, leaving several vacancies open at year-end.
Conversely, attrition among professional and administrative staff remained modest, owing to improved retention initiatives and critical operational needs that require continuity. As a result, headcount stability on the support side, set against the temporary dip in academic numbers, produced a deviation of 0.18 above the target ratio
of 1 : 1.10. The gap is expected to narrow in 2025 as ongoing academic appointments are finalised and new pipeline- building measures – such
as accelerated postdoctoral conversions and targeted professorial searches – begin to replenish the research workforce.
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DUT ANNUAL REPORT 2024