Behind the scenes, university administrators are planning how to celebrate the culmination of this year's research assessment exercise.
One suggestion from Alistair McCulloch, head of research at Edge Hill College of Higher Education, is for an awards ceremony. The quality of submissions would be judged not by panels but by the "true arbiters of quality - the research administrators". Proposed categories include: most innovative use of evidence, most obvious example of central control, most used cliche and most original use of institutionally funded research-student bursaries.
The putative awards have been dubbed the "Rogers", after RAE manager John Rogers.