Research Quality

In the UK, the higher education funding bodies carry out a Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) to enable them to distribute public funds for research, selectively, on the basis of quality.

Edinburgh came top for Computing Science and Informatics in the UK in the last two RAEs, 2001 and 2008.

Informatics at Edinburgh delivers more world-leading (4*) research than anyone else in the UK — 69% more than our nearest competitor.

We contribute 10% of the UK's world-leading research in the Computer Science and Informatics Unit of Assessment (UoA).

We deliver more internationally-excellent (3*) or world-leading (4*) research than anyone else — 44% more than our nearest competitor. Edinburgh contributes more research that is at least internationally excellent than Oxbridge.

Overall, ours is the largest research grouping in the UK — again, 44% larger than our nearest competitor.

All of our research is internationally recognised, or better (2*, 3* or 4*) — and we submitted every eligible member of staff.

Analysis of the School's RAE Results
Research Assessment Exercise 2008