THE UNIVERSITY of Southampton has been named among the best in the country for the impact its research has had on the world.

Published today the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) assesses the quality and impact of research submitted by UK universities across all disciplines.

In a number of areas the work of scientists and researchers based in the city have been rated as some of the best in the county which overall ranked the university in the top dozen nationwide.

The University of Southampton was named 11th best out of 153 institutions which submitted tens of thousands of research papers for review – up two places from last year’s rankings.

Over 97 per cent of the University’s research was assessed as world-leading and internationally excellent. Nearly 90 per cent of its research was assessed as having world-leading and internationally excellent impact.

Not only does it win the University of Southampton the kudos of being among the most influential higher education establishments worldwide, the REF ranking also means it stands a better chance of securing funding allocations from a pot worth approximately £2bn a year.

The university submitted a number of pieces of work in a raft of fields including engineering, science, oceanography medicine, health, social sciences and humanities.

Professor Judith Petts, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) for the University of Southampton, said: “These results are an excellent endorsement of the extremely high quality of research produced by the University of Southampton and confirm our reputation as one of the most respected universities in the UK and globally."

Fellow Hampshire universities, Winchester and Southampton Solent also made the list, coming in at 115th and 144th respectively.