Research assessment
Research is the lifeblood of the University and powers everything we do, from our innovative teaching methods to our impressive portfolio of spin-out companies.
Our reputation for breaking new ground has enabled us to maintain our prestigious status as a top 10 UK research university year after year - The Sunday Times University Guide 2008 confirmed "just seven universities in the UK have a stronger profile for research than Southampton".
Research Assessment Exercise ratings
In 2008, the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) measured the quality of research being performed in UK universities over the past seven years. The ratings are used to inform the selective distribution of public funds for research.
More than 70% of our research was rated as "world-leading" or "internationally excellent" in the UK RAE in 2008.
In the league table of research power we ranked fourth in the UK, and our Primary Care and Public Health research unit was ranked first on the proportion of its output that was world-leading or internationally excellent.
The RAE panel noted that our research strategy and infrastructure were "outstanding" and "could support a substantial body of research at world-leading level".