What is the Research Assessment Exercise?
The first Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) was undertaken in 1986, with subsequent exercises held in 1989, 1992, 1996, 2001 and 2008. The primary purpose of the RAE is to assess the quality of the research activity in universities and colleges throughout the UK.
Panels of experts assessed the quality of research taking place across a number of subject areas or Units of Assessment (UoA), and created a quality profile for each university or college. The quality profile outlined the proportion of research in each area that is ‘world leading’ (4*), ‘internationally excellent’ (3*) or internationally (2*) or nationally (1*) recognised.
The RAE was conducted jointly by the four higher education funding bodies in the UK – the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Scottish Funding Council, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland.
These funding bodies used the RAE results to determine the amount of money, or grants, they will allocate to each university or college to fund their research from 2009-10.
2008 RAE Definitions of Quality
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4* |
Quality that is world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour. |
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3* |
Quality that is internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour but which nonetheless falls short of the highest standards of excellence. |
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2* |
Quality that is recognised internationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour. |
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1* |
Quality that is recognised nationally in terms of originality, significance and rigour. |
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Unclassified |
Quality that falls below the standard of nationally recognised work. |
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