Big unis, big losers?

Several top UK universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, stand to lose millions of pounds in research funding as a result of last year's Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), Britain's major review of research quality. However, other institutions that focus less on research may see an increase in funding, setting off accusations that the two tiers of schools could be engaging in "class warfare." On December 18, the RAE released its linkurl:rankings;http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/20

| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share
Several top UK universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, stand to lose millions of pounds in research funding as a result of last year's Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), Britain's major review of research quality. However, other institutions that focus less on research may see an increase in funding, setting off accusations that the two tiers of schools could be engaging in "class warfare." On December 18, the RAE released its linkurl:rankings;http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/table/2008/dec/18/rae-2008-results-uk-universities for each UK university, which the government will use to calculate how to divvy up a £1.5 billion ($2.1 million) annual pot of research funding.
The RAE scores are drawn from the deliberations of more than 1,000 experts who assess the quality of around 200,000 pieces of work submitted by 159 research institutions over the past six years. The official government handouts will be announced in March. But according to confidential calculations using the released RAE metrics sent to the universities by Research Fortnight, a publication of the linkurl:Research Research;http://www.researchresearch.com/entry/entry.htm news group, the universities of Oxford and Cambridge could each see a cut of around £8.5 million ($11.9 million) per year. Imperial College London, University College London, and the universities of Manchester and Southampton could also be hit hard. The RAE's revised mandate to "reward quality wherever it is found" could lead to a redistribution of funds to universities at the bottom, most of which fell below previous thresholds for funding. For example, the University of Wolverhampton could see its funding rise from £138,000 ($192,000) per year to £2.4 million ($3.3 million). Critics, however, warned against spreading the research coffers too thinly, forcing all schools to settle for mediocrity, not excellence. "Only truly top-flight institutions will attract and keep the international pioneers in their fields," said linkurl:Wendy Piatt,;http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/contacts/wendy-piatt.html director-general of the linkurl:Russell Group,;http://www.russellgroup.ac.uk/ a collaboration of 20 of the UK's top universities, according to the__ linkurl:Times.;http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5537316.ece
**Related stories:__***linkurl:Grants without peer review?;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/blog/55282/
[12th December 2008]*linkurl:Objections to UK funding proposal;http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/24333/
[17th August 2006]*linkurl:UK plans research funding overhaul;http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/23683/
[20th June 2006] __Image: flickr/gavin_day's photostream__
Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

  • Elie Dolgin

    This person does not yet have a bio.
Share
A greyscale image of cells dividing.
March 2025, Issue 1

How Do Embryos Know How Fast to Develop

In mammals, intracellular clocks begin to tick within days of fertilization.

View this Issue
Discover the history, mechanics, and potential of PCR.

Become a PCR Pro

Integra Logo
Explore polypharmacology’s beneficial role in target-based drug discovery

Embracing Polypharmacology for Multipurpose Drug Targeting

Fortis Life Sciences
3D rendered cross section of influenza viruses, showing surface proteins on the outside and single stranded RNA inside the virus

Genetic Insights Break Infectious Pathogen Barriers

Thermo Fisher Logo
A photo of sample storage boxes in an ultra-low temperature freezer.

Navigating Cold Storage Solutions

PHCbi logo 

Products

The Scientist Placeholder Image

Gilead’s Capsid Revolution Meets Our Capsid Solutions: Sino Biological – Engineering the Tools to Outsmart HIV

Stirling Ultracold

Meet the Upright ULT Built for Faster Recovery - Stirling VAULT100™

Stirling Ultracold logo
Chemidoc

ChemiDoc Go Imaging System ​

Bio-Rad
The Scientist Placeholder Image

Evotec Announces Key Progress in Neuroscience Collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb