RAE 2014, conducted by the UGC, assesses the quality of the research conducted at UGC-funded institutions. For each disciplinary area, three distinct elements of assessment covering research output, externally competitive peer-reviewed research grants and esteem measures are used to produce an overall quality profile. International benchmarks are used in the assessment to identify, and encourage, areas of excellence.

 

The results indicate that 44% of CityU’s research is rated in the top-notch categories as either world-leading (“4 star”) or internationally excellent (“3 star”), locating CityU firmly in the top four UGC-funded universities in terms of overall performance in Hong Kong.

 

CityU has performed particularly well in several disciplinary areas, including building technology, chemical engineering, civil engineering, communications & media studies, materials science, mathematics & statistics, which are all ranked at the top among all the UGC institutions in terms of the percentage of research rated in the top-notch categories ("4 star" or "3 star"). In addition, CityU is ranked 2nd in the areas of mechanical engineering, physics & astronomy, as well as in the biology and physical sciences panels.

 

The results echo our rising performance in major international university rankings such as the QS World University Rankings (2014/15) in which CityU is ranked 11th in Asia and 108th in the world.

 

RAE 2014 results are particularly important not only as an indicator of quality but also as a key factor in determining a sizeable, and increasing, portion of the UGC recurrent Block Grant to be allocated to institutions.

 

“This amazing set of results is yet further testimony to the strengths and quality of our research enterprise. This equates to some 300 of our academic faculty being rated as world-leading or internationally excellent. Such a sizable faculty of excellence underpins our reputation as a global university excelling in research and professional education,” said Professor Way Kuo, University President.

 

Excellence is also spreading across campus because world-leading research informs the high quality of CityU’s teaching and learning activities, thanks to the University’s signature Discovery-enriched Curriculum.