Middlesex University continues to register strong performance in its research endeavours as assessed by the newly-published Research Excellence Framework. Notably, computer science and informatics at Middlesex University achieved excellence by placing 13th for power ranking across the sector. "Power ranking" assesses the quality of research by the number of people conducting it, and provides a good indicator for future quality-related research funding.
Patrick Pullicino, Campus Director at Middlesex University Malta, said thatthese results confirm the capacity of Middlesex University to undertake world-leading research especially by the School of Science & Technology. With a number of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes run by the School of Science & Technology, Patrick Pullicino said that the Malta campus is well placed to offer high quality education to its students especially in the fields of computer science and information technology.
154 UK higher education institutions made submissions to REF 2014 in 36 subject-based areas, more accurately described as "units of assessment". These were evaluated by panels of experts, who produced an overall quality profile for each submission. Each quality profile shows the proportion of research judged by the panels to have met four quality levels defined from "unclassified" where standards fall below that of nationally recognised work, to 4* where quality is judged as world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour.
Middlesex University is in the top 25% of universities that have seen positive market share change since 2008 and is now ranked 14th out of 62 improving institutions.
The 2014 REF was conducted jointly by the Higher Education Funding Councils for England, Scotland and Wales, and the Department for Employment and Learning, Northern Ireland (DEL). The primary purpose of REF 2014 was to assess the quality of research and produce outcomes for each submission made by institutions.