NUS Vice President for Higher Education Aaron Porter said:
"NUS welcomes the publication of these results. They highlight the significant improvement in the quality of research by UK universities since the last RAE in 2001, and this is due in no small part to the increase in research funding.
"It is essential that we continue to fund both "blue skies" and "applied" research through the dual-support mechanism. It is often through the absolute pursuit of knowledge that the most life-changing discoveries are made.
"NUS supports the funding of "excellent" research, but the concentration of research funding to “elite” institutions may result in denying the wider cohort of students facilities and research-informed teaching that funding brings and all students need. In addition, by funding the "good" departments of today we will help them become the "excellent" departments of the future."
The Research Assessment Exercise was 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).
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