Immigrating to the United Kingdom, studying in the United Kingdom, you will feel that investing in British universities is worthwhile. According to a report by The Independent on April21, British universities have the highest return on research funding in the world and attract elite scientists from various fields with their outstanding academic standards.
The report points out that the American academic community mainly uses funding for research and to increase citation rates, while British universities focus on the output of academic research. Therefore, in terms of the use of research funding, the United Kingdom surpasses the United States.
The Director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, Nick Hillman, believes that this is mainly due to the funding system in the United Kingdom: the Higher Education Funding Council for England evaluates the academic research contributions of applying institutions, providing a total funding of £1.6 billion (approximately ¥149 billion); another important funding and research body, the UK Research Councils, selects through public bidding, providing a total funding of £3 billion (approximately ¥280 billion).
Thanks to this, the United Kingdom possesses cutting-edge technology in drug development and medical device manufacturing, attracting elite scientists from various fields. Hillman commented, "Just look at the number of Nobel Prize winners in the United Kingdom, and everything becomes clear."
It is worth mentioning that all universities in the United Kingdom must participate in the "Research Excellence Framework" (formerly known as the "Research Assessment Exercise") to apply for government funding. Hillman added: "Compared to the United States, our research funding in the United Kingdom makes the most of every pound. If the research level in the United Kingdom is at the forefront of the world, it is absolutely justified; the research levels in China and Singapore are on the rise, but they cannot compete with the United Kingdom in terms of breadth, intensity, and depth."
In this regard, John O'Leary, a columnist for the Times Higher Education "Top University Guide," commented: "The reason the United Kingdom can maintain a leading position in global academic standards is that the 'English language' plays a crucial role. Since the world university rankings are based on the citation rates of academic journals, the use of 'the global language' English undoubtedly adds an advantage."
Although medicine and science are the primary areas of research funding, the arts disciplines are also given importance. Professor Ian Diamond, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen (former Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council), stated: "Investment in research in the arts can enhance the quality of life. While scientific development is indeed important, the arts are equally indispensable for social development. The scientific research in the United Kingdom is truly deserving of recognition in both academic and educational aspects."