The government’s 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) results for Higher Education institutions have been announced, showing research at the University of Gloucestershire is going from strength to strength.
The RAE measures departmental success in terms of publications, research environment, and academic esteem. The University was especially pleased with results in five areas, where a percentage of its work was categorised as ‘world-leading’. More than half of the work in seven out of the University’s 12 submissions was recognised as of international quality, and all academic areas were judged to be of a quality that is recognised nationally.
The RAE is a periodic analysis of research strengths across the sector and confirms the UK’s dominant position in international research. It shows the strength of the UK research base in more detail than ever before, and results will be used to allocate more than £1.5 billion each year from 2009-2010, with individual recurrent grants announced at the beginning of March 2009.
Dean of Research at the University of Gloucestershire, Professor Peter Childs, said: “These results demonstrate our success in a wide range of research activities and recognise excellence across many areas. The results show the University has international quality work throughout, with particularly high scores in Arts, Humanities, Education, Town and Country Planning, and social science subjects.”
“The University performed well in newer academic areas, and clearly benefited from its strong record in consultancy and development work, which is often underpinned by the high quality revealed in these RAE results. A strong research culture is important to maintain the excellent experience of our students and for the future prosperity of the University.”
In February the University will launch new Research Centres in the Bible and Spirituality, Research in Applied Cognition, Knowledge, Learning and Emotion (CRACKLE), Crime, Violence and Disorder, the Academic Centre for Research in Education (AcRE) and the Study of Floods and Communities to add to the existing research portfolio where more than 200 students are involved in research activity.
Vice Chancellor Professor Patricia Broadfoot said: “We are delighted with the results, particularly that five areas have gained international recognition. We are looking forward to building on our success in the new year with these additional research centres.”
18th December 2008