GuildHE members stand out in the list of UK universities, recognised by HEFCE for the outstanding quality of their research.

Of the top ten UK institutions to win the largest percentage increase in their research funding, five were GuildHE members.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) today published their research funding allocations for universities and colleges in 2015/16.

The distribution of funds reflects the quality of a university’s research and those GuildHE members recognised for their world leading research include Newman University, which has seen a dramatic increase in funds of 774%; York St. John University with an increase of 182% and the University of Worcester with a rise of 347%.

GuildHE Acting CEO, Alex Bols, said:

“Small and specialist universities performed extremely well in REF 2014 and today’s funding allocations reflect that success. We are pleased to see a diverse range of institutions receiving a larger share of the funding available for quality research, in line with the government’s intention to fund excellent research wherever it is found.

“We also welcome HEFCE’s valuable continued support for students from less advantaged backgrounds through the Student Opportunity grant; for high-cost provision and support for disabled students.

“Whilst it is encouraging that smaller and specialist institutions have been rewarded for their REF performance, it is still crucial to acknowledge they receive fairly modest allocations compared to other parts of the higher education sector.

Smaller and specialist institutions are particularly strong local hubs of innovation, drivers of local economic growth and social mobility, and connect the UK to specialist sectors internationally. Supporting research amongst them is vital to maintain the strength of our knowledge base in the UK and internationally.”