The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE)
RAE 2008 - "a tremendous success"
Funding award
What is the RAE and who conducts it?
Who is assessed by the RAE?
Why is the RAE carried out?
How many RAEs have been conducted?
RAE 2008 quality levels
The University of Nottingham - RAE 2008 results - Faculty breakdown
- School breakdown
RAE 2008 - "a tremendous success"
The strength of our research is recognised by the UK Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), which has placed Nottingham among the UK’s leading research-led institutions. Vice-Chancellor Professor David Greenaway has deemed the results “a tremendous success”.
According to RAE 2008 data:
- more than 90 per cent of the research carried out at the University is of international quality
- almost 60 per cent of all research is defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’
The RAE measures ‘research power’ which takes into account the quality and quantity of research as well as the number of staff involved in the assessment.
In this important category, Nottingham was ranked 7th in the UK in recognition of the international impact, sustainability and synergy of its research.
Twenty-seven subject areas feature in the UK Top Ten for their field, with 14 in the Top Five:
• Agriculture, Veterinary and Food Science • American and Canadian Studies
• Applied Mathematics • Architecture and the Built Environment • Asian Studies
• Biomedical Sciences • Business and Management Studies • Chemistry
• Civil Engineering • Economics and Econometrics • Education
• Epidemiology and Public Health • French and Francophone Studies • Geography
• German Studies • Hospital-based Clinical Subjects
• Iberian and Latin American Languages • Laboratory-based Clinical Subjects • Law
• Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering • Nursing and Midwifery
• Pharmacy • Physics and Astronomy • Politics and International Relations
• Primary Care and other Community-Based Clinical Subjects
• Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Clinical Psychology • Russian and Slavonic Studies
Funding award
The University’s outstanding success has been rewarded by a significant increase in the research funding allocated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE): a staggering £9.7m more than last academic year – the largest rise awarded to any university in the UK.
Further information about the research funding awarded to the University as a result of its staggering RAE 2008 success is available in the Times Higher Education.
What is the RAE and who conducts it?
The RAE, an independent assessment of the quality of research taking place in higher education institutions in the UK, is conducted jointly by:
- the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)
- the Scottish Funding Council (SFC)
- the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW)
- the Department for Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland (DEL)
Who is assessed by the RAE?
Any higher education institution in the UK that is eligible to receive research funding from the four bodies listed above is eligible to participate in the exercise which assesses the quality of research across all disciplines.
More than 150 institutions took part in the RAE 2008. The number of subject areas they submitted for assessment varied. Nottingham submitted 47 – more than most other participating institutions.
Why is the RAE carried out?
The main purpose of the RAE is to enable the higher education funding bodies to allocate research funding on the basis of quality. Institutions conducting the best research receive a larger proportion of the available grant so that top level research in the UK is protected and developed.
RAE results are published to provide information about the quality of research in institutions throughout the UK and can be used to:
- guide funding decisions in industry and commerce, charities and other organisations that sponsor research
- give an indication of the relative quality of UK academic research institutes
- provide benchmarks to help institutions develop and manage their research strategies
Research quality, as measured by the RAE, has improved dramatically over the last decade.
How many RAEs have been conducted?
RAEs have been conducted in 1986, 1989, 1992, 1996, 2001 and 2008.
RAE 2008 quality levels
The quality levels used in the RAE 2008 are slightly different to those used in previous years. Notably, the top rating is now 4*, rather than 5*.
The 2008 quality levels are:
|
4* |
Quality that is world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour |
|
3* |
Quality that is internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour but which nonetheless falls short of the highest standards of excellence |
|
2* |
Quality that is recognised internationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour |
|
1* |
Quality that is recognised nationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour |
|
Unclassified |
Quality that falls below the standard |
Instead of reviewing schools as a whole, the RAE 2008 divided academic research into 67 subject areas, or Units of Assessment (UoAs). Each of the 47 UoAs submitted by the University was graded according to the proportion of staff judged to be carrying out research at one of the five quality levels.
The University of Nottingham – RAE 2008 results
Overall, more than 90 per cent of the research carried out at The University of Nottingham is recognised on the international stage, with rankings of 4*, 3* or 2*.
Faculty breakdown
|
|
% research of international standard |
|
Arts |
90 |
|
Engineering |
97 |
|
Medicine and Health Sciences |
88 |
|
Science |
96 |
|
Social Sciences, Law and Education |
90 |
School breakdown
|
|
% research of international standard |
|
Arts |
|
|
American and Canadian Studies |
80 |
|
English Studies |
95 |
|
History |
95 |
|
Archaeology |
90 |
|
Art History |
95 |
|
Classics |
90 |
|
Music |
100 |
|
Philosophy |
95 |
|
Theology |
95 |
|
French and Francophone Studies |
85 |
|
German Studies |
85 |
|
Hispanic and Latin American Studies |
95 |
|
Russian and Slavonic Studies |
90 |
|
Critical Theory and Cultural Studies |
85 |
|
Engineering |
|
|
Chemical, Environmental and Mining |
100 |
|
Civil Engineering |
100 |
|
Electrical and Electric |
95 |
|
Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing |
95 |
|
Medicine and Health Sciences |
|
|
Molecular Medical Sciences |
100 |
|
Human Development; Medical and Surgical Sciences |
90 |
|
Other lab-based clinical subjects |
80 |
|
Epidemiology and Public Health |
90 |
|
Community Health Sciences |
95 |
|
Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Clinical Psychology |
85 |
|
Nursing and Midwifery |
90 |
|
Allied Health Professions and Studies |
75 |
|
Biology |
90 |
|
Biomedical Sciences |
85 |
|
Science |
|
|
Biosciences / Veterinary Medicine |
95 |
|
Chemistry |
100 |
|
Computer Science and IT |
100 |
|
Pure Mathematics |
95 |
|
Applied Mathematics |
95 |
|
Statistics |
100 |
|
Pharmacy |
95 |
|
Physics and Astronomy |
95 |
|
Psychology |
95 |
|
Social Sciences, Law and Education |
|
|
Built Environment |
85 |
|
Business School |
95 |
|
Contemporary Chinese Studies |
70 |
|
Economics |
100 |
|
Education |
80 |
|
Geography |
95 |
|
Law |
95 |
|
Politics and International Relations |
85 |
|
Science and Society |
80 |
|
Sociology and Social Policy |
90 |
Further information
More information about the RAE 2008 is available at the RAE website.
You can also read about the RAE 2008 in Research Fortnight and on the University's own news pages.