Research Excellence Framework
Securing a world-class, dynamic and responsive research base across the full academic spectrum within UK higher education
The REF is the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. It first took place in 2014 and 2021. The next exercise is planned for 2029.
What is the REF’s purpose?
- Inform the allocation of block-grant research funding to HEIs based on research quality
- Provide accountability for public investment in research and produce evidence of the benefits of this investment
- Provide insights into the health of research in HEIs in the UK
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the UK’s system for assessing the excellence of research in UK higher education institutions (HEIs). The REF outcomes are used to inform the allocation of around £2 billion per year of public funding for universities’ research. The REF is a process of expert review, carried out by sub-panels focused on subject-based units of assessment (UoAs), under the guidance of overarching main panels and advisory panels.
For the purposes of the REF, research is defined as a process of investigation leading to new insights, effectively shared.
Latest news
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REF 2029 Volume Measure and associated Code of Practice guidance published
We have published the REF 2029 Volume Measure guidance and the associated Code of Practice guidance today, alongside an Overview of the assessment framework. The volume measure in REF 2029 will be used to determine the number of outputs and impact case studies required for each Unit of Assessment (UoA) submission. It ensures that the…
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Guidance published for the People, Culture and Environment Pilot
Today we have updated our People, Culture and Environment (PCE) pages with the guidance and template being used for the Pilot, and opportunities for the community to join events to discuss the Pilot further. Developing PCE for REF 2029 The guidance published today has been developed as part of the work to develop PCE assessment…
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REF talks, updates and get involved
We’ve updated our Get involved page with three town halls on different areas of REF policy and the opportunity to join a deep dive workshop on REF 2029 policy for contribution to knowledge and understanding (CKU). We’ve added more detail to the timetable and updated some timings that were announced earlier this month. In case…
