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      • > 11 February 2004

Science and Technology Select Committee publishes report on the RAE

23 September 2004

The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee released its report ^{note 1} on the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) today.

HEFCE welcomes the Committee's conclusion that "the next RAE should go ahead in 2008". It also welcomes the Committee's recognition that quality profiles and the two-tier panel structure will ensure greater consistency and are significant steps in addressing some of the previous concerns.

The report acknowledges the complexity of the issues surrounding research assessment and funding. The 2008 RAE was developed following an independent review by Sir Gareth Roberts and widespread consultation with the HE sector and users of research. The consultation gave overwhelming (95 per cent) support for an assessment process based on expert peer review. The UK funding bodies were able to build on the review and subsequent consultation to develop arrangements for the 2008 RAE which are broadly supported by the research and user communities.

Commenting on the report, Rama Thirunamachandran, HEFCE's Director for Research and Knowledge Transfer said:

"We welcome the Committee's conclusion that the 2008 RAE should go ahead as planned. HEFCE will allocate some £9 billion in research funding over a six-year period after the 2008 RAE. Such large sums of public funding will always have to be allocated on a robust and defensible basis in order to maintain and enhance research excellence. The RAE plays a major role in this process.

"We will study the recommendations in the report very carefully, and wherever possible continue to refine the 2008 RAE. Our overarching goal is that the next RAE should provide a sufficiently flexible framework to enable basic/strategic, applied, practice-based and interdisciplinary research to be judged fairly without distorting research priorities of individuals and institutions."

HEFCE is already thinking beyond 2008 and has, together with the Office of Science and Technology, this week sponsored an international workshop on 'Research Evaluation and metrics' attended by experts from Germany, Netherlands, Australia and the UK.

The RAE and HEFCE's quality related (QR) funding are central to delivering the Government's objectives set out in the 10 year Science and Innovation Investment Framework 2004-2014. HEFCE is also actively funding and supporting research capability, research collaboration, postgraduate researchers, knowledge transfer and infrastructure through a range of mechanisms to ensure an excellent, dynamic and sustainable research base.

The report can be viewed at the UK Parliament web-site.

Ends

Notes

1. 'Research Assessment Exercise: a re-assessment' was a follow-up inquiry in the light of Sir Gareth Roberts' review of the RAE and subsequent decisions made by the Higher Education Funding Councils, for the next RAE to be held in 2008.