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RAE 2008 confirms UCL's multidisciplinary research strength

18 December 2008

Medicine, Architecture, Laws, Economics and Philosophy are among the academic disciplines at UCL (University College London) to have achieved outstanding results in the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008 published today, with UCL's total number of full-time equivalent staff rated of world-leading quality third overall after Oxford and Cambridge.

The RAE is a periodic exercise that assesses the research strength of UK universities, and informs the distribution of public funds to the sector by the nation's higher education funding bodies. UCL submitted over 1,800 staff in 49 of the 67 Units of Assessment (UoAs). Details of these submissions can be found here http://www.ucl.ac.uk/silva/research/rae-2008/uoa-number.

In the vast majority of UCL's 49 submissions, at least 50% of the staff submitted were ranked at either 4* - of world-leading quality - or 3* - internationally excellent. Highlights included:

· Economics and Econometrics: 95% of staff submitted rated 3* or 4*, with 55% at 4*;

· Other Hospital-Based Clinical Subjects (including Division of Medicine, Ear Institute, Institute of Ophthalmology, Institute of Child Health, Institute for Women's Health): 70% of submitted staff rated 3* or 4*;

· Law: 75% of submitted staff rated 3* or 4*;

· Architecture and the Built Environment: 75% of submitted staff rated 3* or 4*;

· Philosophy: 75% of submitted staff rated 3* or 4*, with 45% rated 4*;

· Computer Science and Informatics: 80% of submitted staff rated 3* or 4*;

· Psychology: 75% of submitted staff 3* or 4*.

Professor David Price, UCL Vice-Provost for Research, said: "The outcome of the 2008 RAE is hugely significant, because it is the major factor that influences the quality related (QR) funding that we will receive from HEFCE, to be announced in March 2009. Although the results published today carry reputational weight, we can only fully measure their significance once we know the level of funding we will receive as a consequence.

"Nonetheless, it is encouraging for an institution that prides itself on its multidisciplinary strengths to find that we have achieved excellent results across such a wide spectrum. Our traditional strength in biomedicine has been clearly recognised, but we are also delighted in the strong performance of our staff in areas as varied as law, architecture and computer science."

Notes for Editors

 

  1. For further information about UCL, interview requests or images, contact either Dominique Fourniol or Jenny Gimpel in UCL Media Relations, 0207 679 9728 or 0207 679 9726, d.fourniol@ucl.ac.uk or j.gimpel@ucl.ac.uk, out of hours +44 07917 271 364.
  2. The full outcome of RAE 2008 will be published on the HEFCE website at 00:01 GMT Thursday 18 December 2008, www.hefce.ac.uk.