The results of the 2014 Research Excellence Framework placed Queen’s University eighth in the UK for research intensity.
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions and is conducted jointly by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) and the Department for Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland (DEL).
REF
MAJOR RECOGNITION FOR QUEEN'S
Over 75% of research activity at Queen’s was judged to be internationally-excellent or world-leading.
In food security, education, pharmacy, health, modern languages, astrophysics, engineering, cyber security, English and history, Queen’s research impacts right across society.
REF
RECOGNISING QUALITY RESEARCH
14 of the individual areas of research assessed were ranked in the top 20 in the UK, with six of these in the top ten and two in the top five.
Our performance has underlined the breadth and depth of research excellence at Queen’s, with 95% of academic staff returned - the fifth largest percentage of staff returned across universities.
REF
IMPACT EXCELLENCE
Over 88% of impact activity at Queen’s was judged to be internationally-excellent or world-leading, highlighting the important work that Queen’s researchers are doing to ensure their research reaches beyond academia into the wider world.
|
2014 intensity weighted GPA rank order |
Institution |
Number of UoAs entered |
Percentage of eligible staff submitted |
Intensity-weighted GPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Institute of Cancer Research | 2 | 95 | 3.25 |
| 2 | University of Cambridge | 32 | 95 | 3.17 |
| 3 | Imperial College London | 14 | 92 | 3.09 |
| 4 | University College London | 36 | 91 | 2.94 |
| =5 | University of Bristol | 31 | 91 | 2.90 |
| =5 | University of Oxford | 31 | 87 | 2.90 |
| 7 | London School of Economics and Political Science | 14 | 85 | 2.84 |
| =8 | Queen’s University Belfast | 28 | 95 | 2.83 |
| =8 | University of Southampton | 26 | 90 | 2.83 |
| 10 | University of the Highlands and Islands | 6 | 100 | 2.76 |
LOOKING AHEAD
REF 2021
The next REF exercise will take place in 2021. Further information on the process can be accessed via HEFCE’s REF webpage (www.ref.ac.uk). Internal information on Queen’s REF preparations can be accessed by Queen’s academics at the ‘Support for Researchers’ section of this website.