Research Assessment Exercise (RAE)

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Every five/six years, the government organises an assessment of all the research conducted in British Universities. The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) rates the proportion of academic staff that are actively engaged in research and the quality of research that is produced by those staff.

High standard of Bangor University's research recognised in 2008 RAE results

World leading research is being carried out across Bangor University according to the 2008 RAE results.

The RAE has identified world leading research in all of our 19 assessed subject areas with nearly 50% given the top grading of 3* and 4*.

Areas of particular excellence include:

Accounting & Finance within the Business School - rated as the best in the UK
Electronic Engineering which is rated second in the UK
Sports Science and Welsh are placed in the top 10 in the UK in their respective units of assessment and Psychology 11th in the UK
In the Arts & Humanities, the School of Music for example had 90% of its research staff rated as world leading or of international quality
And 90% of research staff in the Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences field which includes Ocean Sciences were also rated as world leading or of international quality

According to Bangor University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Merfyn Jones:

“The results show that Bangor’s research progress is growing year on year, that we have areas of real world excellence as well as all round strength. We are in the research elite for many subjects and this reinforces other evidence demonstrating the quality and scale of our expertise in areas which cross subject boundaries.

“The results prove that Bangor has developed over recent years and is now an international research-led University. We have created a structure where academic Schools are located in one of six Colleges, and every single one of these are involved in research that is recognised as being “world leading” which is a fantastic achievement.”

For a breakdown of the 2008 RAE results, please visit the Research at Bangor site