THE University of East London (UEL) has called for a fairer system for funding research - amid fears that it will miss out on cash because it is not considered an "elite" place of learning.

The university has recently performed strongly in the Government's Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).

More than three-quarters of research at UEL was judged to be "internationally recognised" and some was rated "world-leading".

The Higher Education Funding Council for England is working out a funding formula and will announce how much UEL will receive next month (March).

But despite reassurances that excellence will be rewarded, leaders at UEL are concerend that the lion's share of funding will go to a small number of "elite" institutions.

Currently three-quarters of the £1.5bn earmarked for research grants goes to just 19 universities.

Professor Susan Price, acting vice-chancellor of UEL, said: “We and many other universities are concerned that our success in the RAE should be reflected in the funding we receive, and we are counting on the government to keep its promises to ensure an equitable distribution of funding.

“At UEL, research is central to our mission, not simply for the sake of developing new knowledge, but because it enables us to make significant contributions to social, cultural and economic development locally and globally. "