RAE achievers reap rewards

DUNDEE and St Andrews universities have emerged as the big winners in next year's Scottish funding allocations because of their success in the research assessment exercise.

But the majority of the small free-standing monotechnic institutions have been hard hit, partly because of a poor research showing, and partly because of continuing Government cuts in intakes to teacher training colleges. They will be able to submit strategic plans to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council in a bid to win help under SHEFC's Pounds 11 million strategic change fund.

The most dramatic changes in funding terms are at the top of the scale, with Dundee's 8.5 per cent rise taking it from Pounds 30,846,000 to Pounds 33,947,000, and St Andrews' 7.4 per cent increase taking it from Pounds 20,300,000 to Pounds 22,176,000, while Northern College of Education, with the largest cut of 6.1 per cent, has fallen by less than Pounds 500,000 from Pounds 6,201,000 to Pounds 5,733,000.

SHEFC has maintained teaching and research funding in real terms, with a 2 per cent increase in its total formula funding of Pounds 508 million. This includes Pounds 362 million for teaching, Pounds 100 million for research, and Pounds 46 million for estates and equipment. More than Pounds 100 million of the research funds are being distributed on the basis of the RAE, with SHEFC boosting the grant by Pounds 2 million beyond the increase for inflation in recognition of the substantial rise in the number of staff doing high quality research.

SHEFC warned institutions before the RAE that it would not fund two-rated departments, and stressed that individual managements must decide what to phase in or out. But it has also earmarked more than Pounds 5 million in non-formula funding to develop research.

John Sizer, SHEFC's chief executive, said: "Using the results of the 1996 RAE has led to some significant changes in funding. Scottish universities and colleges will now want to consider how to manage their internal use of these resources to build on their strengths."