2021 Research Excellence Framework results announced

The results of the 2021 Research Excellence Framework have been announced, the first exercise of its kind since 2014.

Imperial College London was ranked number one in the UK, meaning it has a greater proportion of 4* “world-leading” research than any other UK university.

Imperial’s President, Professor Alice Gast, said: “These are outstanding results for Imperial. They confirm our position as a world class research university, and are testament to the spirit of innovation, collaboration and internationalism that runs through everything we do.

Elsewhere in the table, University College London is second in the UK for research power by a measure of average research score multiplied by staff numbers submitted. For this, 93 percent of our research was graded 4* ‘world leading’ and 3* ‘internationally excellent’. Analysis by Times Higher Education suggests that institutions outside London have improved their performance the most, with several Russell Group universities, including the University of Birmingham, University of Manchester and University of Bristol, producing impressive results.

The Research Excellence Framework results are published every seven years and it is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions and contributing to the UK’s overall Research and Development (R&D) ecosystem.

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