Excellence in Research
RAE2008 (The 2008 Research Assessment Exercise) has ranked Bristol Chemistry 4th, confirming the School of Chemistry at Bristol University as one of the UK's premier centres of internationally excellent research.
RAE2008 evaluated key indicators relating to research environment, and the publications and external esteem indicators of our research staff. This analysis generated a quality profile of our research in the categories of 'world leading' (4*), 'internationally excellent' (3*), and 'recognised internationally' (2*), expressed as a GPA (Grade Point Average). The GPA weighted by the number of staff associated with the internationally excellent (4* and 3*) categories then provides a measure of a department's strength in depth and overall research power.
| Institution | GPA (ranking) | FTE staff submitted | %(4* + 3*) | FTE (4* + 3*)(ranking) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Cambridge | 3.20 (1) | 62.95 | 80 | 50.36 (3) |
| University of Nottingham | 3.15 (2) | 35 | 85 | 29.75 (10) |
| University of Oxford | 3.05 (3) | 73.9 | 75 | 55.43 (1) |
| University of Bristol | 3.00 (4=) | 67 | 75 | 50.25 (4) |
| EaStCHEM | 3.00 (4=) | 76.89 | 70 | 53.82 (2) |
| Imperial College London | 2.95 (6) | 53.1 | 75 | 39.82 (5) |
The School's RAE2008 outcome reflects on the vibrancy and broad-based nature of the School's research-intensive and high quality environment. Of the 67 FTE staff submitted (which represented more than 95% of eligible staff) to RAE2008, 20 were Early Career Researchers, including 12 EPSRC, Royal Society and other Research Fellows that the School currently hosts.
Since the RAE2008 census date, the School has continued to move forward substantially. We won more than £15M in research grant funding in 2007/8 and we hold over £27M in current EPSRC support, ranking Bristol second to Imperial College London. In December 2008, new EPSRC funding was secured for two national Doctoral Training Centres, one in Chemical Synthesis (£7.4M) and the other in Functional Nanomaterials (a £6.4M programme joint with the Department of Physics).