The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 ranks Kent among the top 20% of UK Higher Education Institutions for research power.
The University has welcomed the results of the UK Government’s first Research Excellence Framework (REF).
Published on 18 December, the results show that Kent is among the top 20% of UK Higher Education Institutions for research power, alongside other leading universities.
Research power takes into account the quality profile and number of researchers included in university submissions to the REF. Kent is especially pleased to have increased its number of research active staff by 40% since 2008.
Contributing to the University’s REF success were its number of world class publications and the demonstrable impact it has made to society and the economy.
Significant strengths in all three faculties resulted in exceptional performances across a number of Schools including Arts, Biosciences, Law, Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR); and European Cultures and Languages (SECL).
In the new criteria of impact, just under a third of Kent’s submissions were rated as world leading and internationally excellent. Particularly high scores were achieved by Schools including: Computing; Psychology; Physical Sciences; Politics and International Relations; SSPSSR; and SECL.
Schools submitting for the first time included Medway-based Sport & Exercise Sciences and the Kent School of Architecture, both of which had 40% of their submissions classified as world leading.
Kent’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow, said: ‘I am delighted that the strength of research across the University has yet again been recognised. The University has done exceptionally well showing that high quality research can lead to significant economic and social impact. This is a direct result of our institutional strategy to increase both the quality and the quantity of our research. I would like to acknowledge the hard work of all staff who contributed to this success.’