§ Helen Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on the development of the North West regional economy of the revised distribution mechanisms for university research funding; and if he will make a statement. [143452]
§ Alan Johnson:Research funding is allocated to institutions according to quality and volume, using the results of the Research Assessment Exercise. There is no regional element. In 2003–04 the North West region received £108 million in quality-related research funding, an increase of over £9 million on the previous year.
The recent consultation on research assessment, carried out by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the other UK higher education funding bodies, received over three hundred responses from higher education institutions and sector stakeholder bodies. The higher education funding bodies are considering the responses and are expected to make an announcement about a new system of assessment and funding distribution early in the New Year.