How is the quality of research assessed or evaluated?
The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) is run by the UK higher education funding bodies and assesses the quality of research in universities and colleges in the UK. The UK higher education funding bodies then distribute public funds for research selectively on the basis of this quality assessment. The system is currently based on evaluation by expert peer review. The most recent exercise took place in 2008. The outcomes of the RAE2008 were announced in December 2008, with the funding councils using it to allocate funds from 2009. Further details are available on the RAE2008 website. A process of reform is currently under way, which will see the RAE replaced with a new system after the 2008 exercise. The new system is known as the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and will rely more heavily on indicators of quality, or metrics, to undertake the assessment. The objective is to reduce the burden the assessment process places on institutions, whilst maintaining a system that can continue
