Sterling effort losing steam

The crusade by Michael Sterling, vice-chancellor of Birmingham University, to derail the next research assessment exercise seems in danger of running out of steam. Backing from the top end of the Russell Group is waning. And while Professor Sterling recently persuaded big names at the CBI to pen a letter to Kim Howells, the Higher Education Minister, calling on him to do away with the RAE, they have now thought better of it and backed away from the fight.