Scottish universities are among the best in the world for research, according to a vital new assessment which governs future funding levels.
Scottish universities are among the best in the world for research, according to a vital new assessment which governs future funding levels.
Under the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), which grades all UK universities on the quality of research, Scotland has seen a 65% increase in the number of world-class university researchers since 2001.
The increase means there are now researchers whose work is considered world-leading in every single institution in Scotland and more than half of the assessed research in Scotland is either considered internationally excellent or world-leading.
Scottish universities also featured prominently in a UK-wide league table of institutions which took part in the RAE.
Edinburgh University came top in Scotland and 12th in the UK, St Andrews was second in Scotland and 18th overall, while Glasgow University came third and 32nd in the UK. Cambridge University was top.
Subjects which have performed particularly well include economics, physics, chemistry, nursing, midwifery and some areas of engineering.
These are all subjects where efforts have been made to encourage university researchers across Scotland to collaborate in "research pools" to respond to increasing international competition.
Fiona Hyslop, the Education Secretary, welcomed the findings. "Scottish universities are continuing to lead the world in many areas of research," she said. "The results reflect the efforts of those working in our universities and the substantial investment which we are making in the sector."
Mark Batho, chief executive of the Scottish Funding Council, which distributes public money to universities on behalf of the government, said research collaboration between institutions was a major factor in the improved figures.
"Our institutions undertake world-leading research across the spectrum, which represents a considerable advance on the last RAE," he said.
"We have encouraged innovative research collaborations between universities, enabling them to compete with other institutions internationally and I am very pleased to see them all do so well in this assessment."
Universities Scotland, which represent university principals, hailed the results as a "national triumph" - at a time when many feared for the economic future of the country.
Professor Anton Muscatelli, convener of Universities Scotland, said: "At a time of poor world economic circumstances we have this tremendously encouraging news about something we in Scotland do exceptionally well.
"These results have reinforced Scotland's reputation as one of the world's centres of discovery and innovation and, as we try to work out what strengths we can build on when we rebuild our economy, none offers us the opportunities our world-class research does." However, Claire Baker, the Scottish Labour Party's higher education spokeswoman, warned that future funding levels were crucial.
"I welcome the improvement in the quality of research at Scotland's universities but, most recently, there have been repeated warnings from university and student leaders over an impending funding crisis in universities in Scotland. Clearly, universities are delivering and it is time for the SNP to do likewise."
Lecturers also called for greater funding and UCU Scotland warned institutions that they should not use the process as an excuse to downsize departments that did not fare as well as others.
The RAE is an independent assessment conducted jointly by the Scottish Funding Council and university funding bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Conducted every five to six years, it evaluates the quality of research at UK institutions and is used as a guide for future cash allocation by the various bodies.
It is important because departments which do well attract the most funding, while those that do badly can see their funding fall. Some departments have even shut as a result of a poor rating in the RAE.
