In the UK there is a programme called the Research Excellence Framework - run by a government body - which allocates research funding to academic institutes acc

In the UK there is a programme called the Research Excellence Framework - run by a government body - which allocates research funding to academic institutes according to research quality (as measured by various benchmarks) as well as impact on society and the economy. Institutes and faculties are directly financially impacted by how well they score on this framework. It's not surprising that scientists feel the pressure to game the system.