18.12.08
1994 Group Comment on the Publication of the 2008 RAE Results
Commenting today on the publication of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) results, Professor Steve Smith, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter and Chair of the 1994 Group said:
‘The results of the RAE published today recognise the outstanding achievement of individual faculty members at 1994 Group institutions in the delivery of world leading research across all fields of academic study.
The impressive performance of the research elite institutions in the 1994 and Russell Groups demonstrates that the government was right to increase funding for research excellence after the last RAE in 2001.
The UK is a world leader in research, but that position is constantly under threat from other countries. We need to push forward from here and increase the impact and relevance of our work. This can only be achieved if funding for basic research continues to be directed towards excellence wherever it is found; and not just to those institutions with the greatest capacity.
For the last year 1994 Group universities have been focused on what comes after the RAE: the Research Excellence Framework. We have been moving rapidly to adapt our strategies. New investments have been agreed and new appointments made to ensure that the success revealed today is not only maintained but bettered.'
Notes to Editors
1. The 1994 Group was established in 1994 to promote excellence in research and teaching. It brings together eighteen internationally renowned, research-intensive universities. 57 percent of all work assessed in 1994 Group institutions in RAE 2008 was graded at 3* or 4*.
2. The Group’s members are small- to medium-sized institutions, and are generally campus-based. They operate on a human and personal scale, maximising student-staff contact and ensuring an adaptable and inter-disciplinary approach to both research and teaching. Research-led teaching is key to the 1994 Group’s mission, and a large proportion of the top academics who achieved the Group’s outstanding results in RAE 2008 teach students.
3. Press Enquiries: Paul Marshall, Executive Director, 1994 Group. Tel: 0207 872 5597; Mob: 0779 3774077