The modernisation of research evaluation: The case of the UK

The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), first established by the UK University Grants Committee in 1985 has been an important instrument in the modernisation of higher education in the UK. It is a means of rationalising the stratification of universities and the concentration of research resources, and of maximising research output. At the same time, while its operation remains substantially under professional control, it has had profound implications for the academic profession. The article explores these through analysing the workings of the RAE and its consequences for higher education institutions, departments and individuals. It suggests that the RAE has triggered substantial changes in the management of the research function in universities and in the culture of university departments. It has disturbed the web of relationship between the individual academic, the discipline, the department and the institution. It has impacted on individual professional identities and concepts of research responsibilities.