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º£½ÇÖ±²¥ rewarded by Funding Council

We have been awarded one of the best grants for teaching, enterprise and research in terms of a percentage increase in our annual allocation from the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

In 2009-2010, the University will see what is known as its total recurrent grant increase by 10% to £63.98m with the bulk of the cash being to fund full time and part time courses for students. This outstanding increase, almost five times the national average, reflects our continued strength in teaching and engagement with business and a much improved performance in the last Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).

Delighted with ‘exceptional’ grant Vice-Chancellor, Professor Graham Henderson, said: ‘We’re absolutely delighted to have, once again, received an exceptional grant allocation from the Funding Council - which directly reflects our track record of achievement and growth in response to changing regional and Government priorities.

‘This allocation will not only enable us to continue to deliver our core business but will also facilitate our plans for further expansion of our activities, not least by providing targeted support and assistance for both individuals and organisations affected by the current economic recession.’

Alan Oliver, Executive Director for Finance and Planning, added: ‘Next year’s grant places the University in the top ten nationally in terms of Institutions receiving an increase in allocation. In percentage terms, our settlement is the best result in the North East.’

The details of the settlement mean the University will get a £5m boost for teaching and receive £1.3m for Research from the Funding Council for 2009-2010 compared to £0.5m in 2008-2009 as a result of the 2008 RAE where some of º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s research activity was judged to be internationally excellent, with some elements classified as world leading.

We will also get an Innovation Fund grant of £1.35m in acknowledgement of our growing reputation for working with business.

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