5 August, 2013

Independent evaluation of British Antarctic Survey research excellence

The outcome of an independent evaluation of the research excellence within NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) Research Centres is published today.

The evaluation provides NERC with unequivocal evidence of the value and relevance of the research conducted by its Centres to society and the economy.

The evaluation of British Antarctic Survey (BAS) reveals its research to be excellent, influential and internationally important.

The scientific value and wider impact of the BAS portfolio of inter-disciplinary research — including areas such as the role of melting ice sheets on sea-level rise; the sustainable management of polar marine resources; the value of the polar regions for understanding global climate; as well as frontier science explorations of subglacial landscapes — were scrutinised by independent reviewers.

The evaluation exercise, based on the Research Excellence Framework used by UK higher education institutions, was the first to be commissioned by NERC.  The outcome is important for shaping future direction of BAS and is a valuable demonstration of public accountability.