Positive university research ratings welcomed

The Stormont Minister for Employment and Learning has congratulated both Queen’s University of Belfast and the University of Ulster on their performance in the 2001 UK-wide Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).

The RAE published on Friday December 14 assesses the quality of research in all the higher education institutions (HEI) through a process of benchmarked peer review.

The main purpose of the 2001 RAE is to produce ratings of research quality, which will be used by the UK higher education funding bodies to determine the main grant for research to institutions they fund.

Referring to the publication of ‘2001 Research Assessment Exercise: the Outcome’, Dr Farren said: “Both of our universities have performed extremely well in this research assessment exercise with the results confirming that research undertaken in Queen's University and in the University of Ulster is of world class quality.”

In the last Research Assessment Exercise, carried out in 1996, 37 per cent of universities were rated at 4. This contrasts with the 2001 statistics which show over 70 per cent of research units in the Northern Ireland universities are rated at 4 and above in the research activity submitted by them.

The Minister said: “This improved performance reflects an increasingly strategic approach by the universities in focusing their resources selectively and in building on their strengths.

“Research capability is vital for economic growth, competitiveness and the well-being of the community. Through their research activities and the transfer of knowledge, the universities are making a major contribution to the social and economic life of Northern Ireland.” (AMcE)