ALMOST three quarters of research done at Bradford University has been called either "internationally excellent," or world leading helping make it one of the top 50 universities for research in the country.

The Research Excellence Framework shows that the university is ranked 49 out of 128 institutions for the quality and impact of its research.

When this was last measured in 2008, Bradford was ranked 62nd.

The REF particularly measures the output – the number and quality of publications - of a university’s research, and the real impact of research based on case studies submitted.

Nearly 40 per cent of Bradford’s impact case studies have been ranked world leading and almost 90 per cent ranked as world leading or internationally excellent combined.

Almost three-quarters (74 per cent) of its research overall was rated as world leading or internationally excellent. A further 22 per cent of the University’s research was internationally recognised.

Areas where the university was particularly praised were the departments of Allied Health, Management and Archaeological Science.

The top ranked institution in the REF is the Institute of Cancer Research, followed by Imperial College, London.

In the past year alone, research at Bradford University has helped lead to new anti ageing skincare products being developed, boosted the tourism trade in the Shetland Islands thanks to discoveries from the university's archaeology department, and led to a new, more effective way or treating bladder cancer.

Research projects have also helped reduce racial inequality in Western Australia, improve dementia care across the world and improving relations between different ethnic groups in cities like Bradford.

The university's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Brian Cantor, said: “We pride ourselves on the high quality of our research and knowledge transfer activity. These results underline that excellence and demonstrate Bradford’s continued development as a world-leading, research-intensive university that brings real solutions to issues affecting society and communities worldwide.

“Bradford is fiercely committed to making a difference – producing research that impacts on real-world problems and equipping our graduates to go into the world able to make a significant contribution to society.

"We are proud of that commitment and delighted to see the excellence and impact of our research recognised.”