No slamming here

Never let a story get in the way of a good headline. The CMU has not "slammed" Government proposals ("Post-92s slam 'very biased' RAE successor", October 6), it called for a different basket of metrics informed by peer review and a small but separate metric-driven stream of financing, within quality-related (QR) funding, to promote institutional research infrastructure and capacity.

Nor did we suggest that this stream of funding should be confined to a particular group of universities.

We noted with interest that the Department for Education and Skills-funding councils consultation supports the multiple roles of QR, including its use in and support for research infrastructure and capacity. But the consultation fails to mention that universities can receive very little QR funding, notwithstanding the fact that they are engaged in new and emerging areas and research of national significance.

The CMU proposals also recognise the importance of quality and consider its definition and promotion in the context of the need to achieve a more dynamic and responsive funding system.

Pam Tatlow
Chief executive, CMU