New evidence highlights world-leading quality of UK university research

The importance of UK research was never more evident than during the pandemic through universities’ detection and treatment of the virus and vaccine discovery. From medicine and engineering, to social sciences, arts and humanities, the hard work and achievements of researchers at UK universities stand out on the world stage, improving the quality of all our lives, and creating jobs and prosperity across the country.

The Research Excellence Framework results demonstrate a high level of world-leading research, but maintaining and building on this requires political focus and support. It is imperative that the dark clouds of uncertainty hanging over our research communities are lifted by urgently confirming the UK’s association to Horizon Europe, the EU’s world-leading research and innovation programme, to provide a stable funding environment.

This is why we are supporting the Stick to Science campaign, which is calling on the UK and EU to put political disagreements aside in the interests of globally relevant research. It is also important that the UK continues to train,  attract and retain talented researchers by ensuring the research eco-system is dynamic, inclusive and financially sustainable. The global issues we all face require our research excellence to continue to grow and develop.