REF ranks Oxford first for research
18th December 2014
The results of the Research Excellence Framework 2014, a public review used to allocate almost £2 billion in research funding each year, has ranked the University of Oxford first for research.
Specialist higher education publication Research Fortnight’s analysis found that: “The University of Oxford tops the Power Ratings in a league table compiled …to indicate the probable financial consequences of the REF.”
The Times Higher Education noted: “The University of Oxford’s…submissions have the highest grade point average in 10 of the REF’s 36 units of assessment.”
“When judged solely on outputs – the papers, chapters and monographs submitted for assessment in the REF – Oxford comes top in six units, Cambridge and the University of Warwick in four, the LSE in three and Imperial in two.”
And The Guardian reported that: “Oxford is set to take the largest share of the block funding, after almost half of the research produced by its 2,400 academic staff was given the top four-star rating by panels of judges and experts in each subject.”
Oxford University Innovation, the University’s commercialisation company, welcomed the results and extends congratulations to all researchers and staff involved. Managing director Tom Hockaday said: “We’re extremely proud to be working with the world-class research and intellectual property produced by Oxford. The depth and strength of this research has been the basis for our successes in commercialising Oxford research over many years. Already in 2014 we have set up nine new spin-outs and in the last financial year we completed 503 licences and consulting agreements based on Oxford expertise and ideas.”
