Universities get research praise

Queen's University has been praised for its research

The two universities in Northern Ireland are celebrating their performance in a UK-wide comparison of the quality of their research.

Queen's University is now among the top 20 in the UK, through the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).

Subjects taught at the University of Ulster, which were highly praised, included Nursing and Celtic Studies.

The RAE is contested as a good performance encourages outside bodies to fund more research.

Both of the Northern Ireland universities were congratulated on their results by the Employment and Learning Minister Sir Reg Empey.

"Research capability is vital for economic growth, competitiveness and the well-being of the community," he said.

"Through their research activities and the transfer of knowledge, the universities are making a major contribution to the cultural, social and economic life of Northern Ireland and this is particularly important given the current economic climate."

The University of Ulster said it was delighted in particular with the praise for Nursing and Celtic Studies, for which 100% of research was judged to be of international quality.

Peer review

Its Nursing department was the only one in the UK to win that accolade.

The University of Ulster entered research from almost 500 academics.

At Queen's University, almost 800 academics submitted research and it highlighted strong performances in English, Music, Medicine and Law.

The exercise assessed the quality of research in all UK higher education institutions through peer review.

Queen's University vice-chancellor Professor Peter Gregson said the university had "strengthened its reputation as a major force in research".

"The research power index, which measures the quality and quantity of research, places us in the top 20 universities in the UK," he said.

The University of Ulster also received plaudits for its research

University of Ulster vice-chancellor, Professor Richard Barnett, said he was enormously proud of the results.

"For a regional university to achieve this level of research recognition is a superb accomplishment," he said.

"This is great news for the university and for Northern Ireland."