The Royal College of Art receives money from HEFCE (the Higher Education Funding Council for England) on an annual basis for Quality-related research. The figure for the academic year 2008–09 will be £2.9 million. This money is competed for internally through the Research Development Fund (RDF). The RDF is administered by the Research Committee and welcomes applications from all contracted members of staff. Staff on externally funded research contracts are eligible to apply to the Research Development Fund as principal investigators for their own research.