The results of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise have been released by the UK HE Funding Councils. They are now available on the RAE website:

RAE 2008 Publications

Results are sorted by Unit of Assessment (subject area) and a “quality profile” is given for each institution for each UoA. This shows two things: a) how many staff (in terms of FTEs) were submitted by that institution for that UoA; and b) the percentage of research activity which met each of the four quality levels. Research quality is based on outputs, research environment and esteem indicators and is graded from 1* (national recognition) to 4* (world-leading).

Lincoln Success

The University of Lincoln submitted 35% of staff to 14 UoAs and achieved international recognition (2* and above) in all of them. We performed particularly well in Computer Science and Informatics and Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, where a significant proportion of research was deemed to be world-leading and internationally excellent (3* and 4*), the highest available ratings.

Lincoln also put in a strong performance in Art & Design, Social Work, Psychology, Education, and History. Elements of research in all these disciplines were recongised as being world-leading. This gives us a strong foundation for expanding and improving our research in these and other areas in the future. Read more about Lincoln’s success story here.

League Tables

Both the Guardian and the Times Higher have published league tables or rankings on the basis of this information. These show that Lincoln has made a vast improvement from the position in the 2001 RAE results. However, these tables should be treated with caution: they have not been normalised for percentage of staff submitted because this data is not yet officially available.

Once this data is released, along with disaggregated results for research outputs, esteem and environment, we will be able to see a clearer picture of Lincoln’s rapid progress over the past 10 years. This should take place early in 2009 along with crucial information on funding allocations which will be based on these results.

Congratulations to all staff involved in the RAE submission – the Research Office wishes you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!