The first REF exercise is due to be completed in 2013
collaboration with the Scottish Funding Council, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, the Department for Employment and Learning (Northern Ireland), and with a wide range of stakeholders
Assessing research quality
three elements
Outputs
The primary focus of the REF will be to identify excellent research of all kinds.
expert review, informed by citation information
robust data
Impact
Significant additional recognition will be given where researchers build on excellent research
demonstrable benefits
economy, society, public policy, culture and quality of life.
case-study approach
Environment
The REF will take account of the quality of the research environment
the most famous branding exercise there is for research prestige
nearly 90 per cent of the research submitted has been judged to be of international quality, falling into the top three grades of "world-leading", "internationally excellent" or "internationally recognised"
UK universities are dominant on the international stage
there is excellent research to be found across the higher education sector
the UK is among the "top rank of research powers in the world"
More than half of all the research produced by some 52,400 academics whose work was rated as part of the 2008 research assessment exercise (RAE) is at least "internationally excellent"
University of York climbed into the top ten
the biggest star among the research-intensive institutions was Queen Mary, University of London, which went from 48th in 2001 to 13th in the 2008 Times Higher Education table
HIGH FLYERS WHO CLIMBED THE RANKINGS
next issue, out on 1 January, for reactions to and further analysis of the RAE 2008 results
The research-intensive university that shot highest up the table was Queen Mary, University of London (from 48th in 2001 to 13th). It was followed by the University of Nottingham (37th to 24th). The universities of Loughborough, Leeds and Exeter also put in strong performances as rising stars among research-intensive institutions.
Among the traditionally non-research-intensive universities
strong performances
University of Hertfordshire challenged the middle-ranking universities, rising from 93rd to 58th
Anglia Ruskin, Bournemouth and Derby
it is research power (a mixture of excellence and volume) that will determine funding
the raw scores achieved by departments will be "meaningless" if there is no indication of what proportion of staff were entered. "(The omission) has serious implications for academics as individuals and for equality of opportunity,"
data that could have been used as a proxy for the missing submissions data
Hesa's board last week agreed to supply proxy measures alongside the RAE 2008 results. This week, however, Hesa said that it could not supply these data by 18 December.