Higher Education Quality-related Research (QR) funding

QR funding is non-directive (unhypothecated) and is provided to Northern Ireland HEIs through DfE's annual block grant process. Funding allocations are determined through a bespoke DfE formula which uses the most recent REF outcomes and published HESA data to distribute the available QR budget between institutions. While the formula determines the distribution of funding between HEIs, the overall size of the QR budget is set separately by the Minister. 

Components of the QR funding formula

The DfE QR funding formula comprises four separate funding elements, each supporting a distinct policy objective. Together, these elements determine the distribution of QR funding between Northern Ireland HEIs.

• Mainstream
• Premium
• Postgraduate Research (PGR) Supervision
• Charities support 

Mainstream QR

Mainstream QR is allocated to REF-submitted Units of Assessment (UoAs) on the basis of research quality, research volume and subject cost. Funding is provided only for research assessed at 3 ("internationally excellent") and 4 ("world-leading") quality levels. The volume measure is the FTE number of research-active academic staff submitted to the REF.

Table 1 - Mainstream funding weightings

REF 2021 Quality rating	Mainstream funding  weighting
4* (Quality that is world-leading)	4
3* (Quality that is internationally excellent)	1
2* (Quality that is recognised internationally)	0
1* (Quality that is recognised nationally)	0
Unclassified (Quality that falls below the standard of nationally recognised work or is ineligible)	0

 

Table 2 - UoA/ subject cost weightings

Cost band	Cost weighting
A (High cost laboratory and clinical subjects)	1.6
B (Intermediate cost subjects)	1.3
P (UoA 4 - Psychology, Psychiatry & Neuroscience)	1.42
C (Others)	1.0

Premium

Premium is allocated as a fixed funding amount to designated STEM and Wider Economic Relevance (WER) UoAs. Funding is provided at a 2:1 ratio between STEM and WER UoAs and applies across the full breadth of the REF quality profile. 

Post Graduate Researcher (PGR) Supervision

PGR Supervision funding contributes towards the costs of supervising postgraduate research students. Allocations are determined principally by the number of eligible home fee paying  full time postgraduate research students, weighted by UoA cost band and REF quality.

Table 3 - PGR supervision funding weightings 

REF 2021 Quality rating	RDP Funding weighting
4* (Quality that is world-leading)	1
3* (Quality that is internationally excellent)	1
2* (Quality that is recognised internationally)	1
1* (Quality that is recognised nationally)	0
Unclassified (Quality that falls below the standard of nationally recognised work or is ineligible)	0

Charities support

Charities Support funding contributes towards the Full Economic Cost (FEC) of competitively awarded charity funded research and is distributed according to each institution's share of eligible charity research income, using a rolling four-year average of published HESA Finance data.

Total QR funding allocations 

Total QR funding to NI HEIs (£), 2018/19 to 2024/25

Academic Year	Queens University Belfast	Ulster University	Stranmillis University College	Total
24/25	36,943,673	16,681,784	35,314	53,660,771*
23/24	40,564,854	18,725,537	28,386	59,318,777**
22/23	31,818,289	14,782,251	28,239	46,628,779
21/22	32,387,910	14,182,560	58,301	46,628,771
20/21	32,359,482	14,209,329	59,961	46,628,772
19/20	32,522,581	14,044,548	61,643	46,583,772
18/19	32,608,121	13,958,360	62,288	46,628,769

*includes additional £7,032,000 of in year, non-recurrent QR

** includes additional £12,690,000 of in year,  non-recurrent QR 

Detailed QR funding tables

• NI HEI QR tables 2018/19 – 2024/25