§ 29. Dr. NaysmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on her plans for funding research in universities; and if she will make a statement. [40751]
§ Margaret HodgeThe Department's policy is to strengthen research excellence and support world-class research. The Higher Education Funding Council for England implements this policy by providing funding selectively to higher education institutions, taking into account the quality of their research in each subject as measured by the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). The purpose of the RAE is to distribute funding, not to determine the amount of funding that should be made available. However, in the light of the improvement in quality shown in the 2001 RAE, my Department has made available an extra £30 million in 2002–03 to allow the Higher Education Funding Council for England better to support high quality research in higher education. Future research funding is being considered as part of the current spending review.