Leading article: Good sense

The new rules governing the next research assessment exercise (RAE) for universities are to be welcomed. They will make it easier to single out world-class research for funding now that assessors have to draw up a profile of each department and show the percentage of its output that qualifies in this category. Also, the proposal from Sir Gareth Roberts, the chairman of the group that has been examining the RAE, for a three-track assessment has been dropped. As it would have meant the universities which at present receive less than two per cent of their funding for research not having it assessed at all, this has removed a divisive element from the new procedures.