Cambridge RAE 2008 results announced

The University of Cambridge submitted 2,040 researchers to the RAE. 31.7 per cent of submissions were in the 4* category (world-leading) while 39.2 per cent were in the 3* (internationally excellent).

The RAE is a peer review exercise which evaluates the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. This assessment will inform the UK higher education funding bodies’ distribution of grants (with effect from 2009-2010). However, the allocation of the approximate £1.2 billion to universities will not take place until March of next year.

For the purpose of the 2008 RAE, each academic discipline was assigned to one of 67 units of assessment such as ‘chemistry’, ‘physics’, ‘law’ and ‘cancer studies’.
The 2008 RAE then used the same main principles of peer assessment as previous RAEs (the last of which took place in 2001). Work submitted to the exercise was assessed by a panel of experts chosen for ‘their standing in the academic and wider research community, their extensive research experience, and their understanding of the needs of research users and commissioners of research from both the public and commercial sectors’.

However, a few significant changes were introduced which will make it difficult to compare this year’s results with the last RAE. For example, during the last RAE departments were ranked between 1 and 5* (1, 2, 3b, 3a, 4, 5, and 5*, with 5* being the highest award). In order to achieve a 5* in 2001, over 51 per cent of the staff that were submitted had to be considered ‘internationally excellent’.

This year’s results are published as a graded profile rather than a fixed seven-point scale. (In other words, each ‘unit’ could potentially have researchers which fall within all five of the different rankings.)

A 4* indicates quality that is ‘world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour’, a 3* indicates quality that is ‘internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour but which nonetheless falls short of the highest standards of excellence’, a 2* indicates quality that is ‘recognised internationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour’, a 1* which indicates quality ‘that is recognised nationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour’, and ‘unclassified’, which indicates quality ‘that falls below the standard of nationally recognised work’ or ‘work which does not meet the published definition of research for the purposes of this assessment’.

Professor Ian Leslie, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Cambridge made the following statement:

“Today’s RAE results reflect the strength, depth and breadth of the research at Cambridge, and we are very pleased that the global quality of our academics has been recognised.

“Over 2,040 individuals were submitted to the RAE, 92 per cent of our permanent academic staff, including many of our bright, young researchers, and over 70 per cent of our volume was deemed ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.

“This assessment is useful as it provides insight into where we could make effective changes. The process of evaluation has served the university sector well.”

Please use the link on the upper right hand side of the page to view the results for the University of Cambridge.