The 1994 Group is a coalition of smaller research-intensive universities founded to defend their interests after the larger research-intensive universities founded the Russell Group. They describe themselves as "sixteen internationally recognised universities in Britain, who share common aims, standards and values."

According to the 'Patterns 3' report by Universities UK, "The Russell Group and the 1994 Group share many features, but are distinguished chiefly by the fact that most members of the Russell Group have medical schools, and an emphasis on science and technology. Within the Russell Group a small number of institutions are outliers on the basis of the statistical information available, and if these were excluded from the analysis, the Russell Group and the 1994 Group would show very similar characteristics."

There are two common members of the Russell Group and the 1994 Group - the prestigious University of Warwick and the London School of Economics (LSE). In terms of research funding, these are the two smallest English institutions in the Russell Group (HEFCE Research Funding allocations, 2004/5). Warwick is the largest of the 1994 institutions by this measure and represents the overlap point between the two groups. It comes in 15th overall with respect to its size and is joined in the top 20 English institutions (by this measure) by Durham, York, Reading, Surrey and Queen Mary, University of London - all but the last of these being members of the 1994 group.

However, the 1994 Groups should not be seen solely as being defined by comparison the the Russell Group. While this was the driving force behind its formation, it has spread into other activities such as the Dangoor Scholarships - 1000 scholarships of 1000 pounds each funded by Naim Dangoor and available for students starting university in 2005/6.

Members

• St Andrews University
• University of Durham
• Lancaster University
• University of York
• University of Warwick (also in the Russell Group)
• University of Reading
• University of East Anglia
• University of Essex
• Birkbeck, University of London
• Goldsmiths College, University of London
• Royal Holloway, University of London
• London School of Economics and Political Science (also in the Russell Group)
• University of Surrey
• University of Bath
• University of Sussex
• University of Exeter

Until 1 October 2004 the list included the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), now merged with the Victoria University of Manchester. The new University of Manchester formed by the merger is in the Russell Group.

See also

• Russell Group of Universities
• Coalition of Modern Universities.

External link

• The 1994 Group of Universities (http://www.1994group.ac.uk)