Mr. Dara Lynott:

They are sponsored in that they operate within the university, provide services for the university and avail of administrative services and facilities within the university but, as academics, they are also free to research any topics they so wish within their chosen fields. The peer review does not happen at a university level. The peer review is conducted by other universities and peers outside their initial research group. An academic would not be peer reviewed by fellow academics within the university.