Research Council funding doubles

Grant awards increased from £12M in 2010/11, to £24M in 2011/12

The University of Liverpool, with Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), has doubled its Research Council grant awards and climbed 12 places in the sector rankings for the total amount of  funding secured, according to a report by the Times Higher Education.

Total grant awards increased from £12M in 2010/11 to £24M in 2011/12 , with £4.8m being attributable to LSTM (excluding Science and Technology Facilities Council awards), positioning Liverpool 13^th in the sector for the total value of Research Council funding it attracts.

Above sector average

The application success rate also rose from 27% to 32%, placing the institution above the sector average of 30%.

Professor Dinah Birch, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange, said: “I am delighted to see Liverpool’s success in gaining Research Council funding.  Research Councils contribute the highest proportion of the University’s research awards, ahead of UK Charities and EU and other international funders. They are recognised as highly competitive and are an indication of the high quality research being carried out at Liverpool. 

“New processes of internal review and enhanced research management approaches are being implemented across the University and I hope these will continue to lead to improving success rates over the next year.”

Analysis of data for individual Research Councils has shown particular improvements in awards from the Medical Research Council, and also from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). BBSRC awards in 2011/12 place Liverpool above the average for the Russell Group for the first time since 2008/09.

Significant recent investment

Professor Bob Burgoyne, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Academic Lead for Research and Knowledge Exchange, said: “It is particularly important to see this improvement in awards from two of our major funders as this follows significant recent investment in Research within the Faculty.”

Overall there was an 8% drop in the value of awards to the sector, and some of the large Russell Group universities saw a fall in award value, including Imperial College and Cambridge. Within the top 10, only the universities of Birmingham, Edinburgh and University College of London received more funding.