Wealthy foundations: UK’s engineering heavyweights

With almost £70 million secured in 2011-12, Imperial College London continues to bring in the largest value of research grants and contracts in “engineering and technology”, a category that includes a range of engineering and IT sciences.

Sheffield’s £47 million income represents a 19 per cent rise on the previous year. Meanwhile, a 51 per cent surge by the University of Bristol puts it into the top 10, edging out the University of Warwick, where income fell by 10 per cent.

The data also show how engineering research funding is heavily concentrated, with the top 10 institutions accounting for half of the UK total of £752 million.

The recently formed Science and Engineering South Consortium – which includes Cambridge, Imperial, University College London and the universities of Oxford and Southampton – has by far the largest income of any regional group, with more than a quarter of the UK total.

Source: HE Finance Plus, Higher Education Statistics Agency

Note: Includes general, chemical, mineral, metallurgy and materials, civil, electrical, electronic and computer, mechanical, aero and production engineering, IT and systems sciences and computer software engineering

elizabeth.gibney@tsleducation.com