AVÊÓƵ

The latest CABS report reveals that the Business School received £5.5m in research income in 2020/21, which is higher than all other UK business schools. This means that the AVÊÓƵ Business School now ranks number one in the UK for Business and Management research income.

Looking at combined income over the last three years (for the period 2018/19 to 2020/21), the AVÊÓƵ Business School received £12.41m,second only to one institution  and outperforming many larger competitors.

The AVÊÓƵ Business School received £1.128m from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in 2020/21 – accounting for 8% of total ESRC funding for Business and Management. This amount was again the highest among all business schools aside from one.

The AVÊÓƵ Business School also received £653,000 from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) – accounting for 11% of total EPSRC funding for Business and Management). This is the second largest award to any university.

, Dean of the AVÊÓƵ Business School, said:

“Our research grant success builds on our engagement with important, current issues confronting our economy and society. For example, the new Centre for Inclusive Trade Policy (CITP) reflects our engagement with the impact of Brexit, while the Digital Futures at Work (Digit) research centre looks at important issues such as precarious work and the ethical aspects of deploying artificial intelligence in the workplace. Our strength in energy research speaks to our current difficulties, but also to a longer term need to put our energy usage on a more sustainable footing. There is strength across the board and the new knowledge created finds its way into our classrooms, shaping the educational experience of our students.”

Nationally, research funding for Business and Management grew for the fifth consecutive year in 2020/21, according to the report. Accounting for the effect of inflation, Business and Management research income grew by 13% in real-terms compared to the figures for 2015/16.

The growth is driven largely by an increase in income from the UK research councils (+£6.3m), which offset decreases from several other sources, including industry (-£3.3m) and EU sources. Contributions from industry reached the lowest level on record, which is expected to be at least partly due to the impact of Covid-19.

Funding from UK government sources for Business and Management research has declined by 5% in real-terms over the last 10 years, compared to the 22% real-term increase recorded across all subjects.

The CABS report is based on the latest data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and contains an analysis of funding levels over the previous five years (2015/16-2020/21), in addition to a snapshot of funding levels ten years ago (2010/11).