Last updated: 19 June 2025
This timetable represents the current project plan and it will be updated as the exercise progresses. It should be used as the most up-to-date information on the REF 2029 schedule. We will notify the sector when there are changes to the schedule.
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2023 Summer
- Policy module 1 – REF 2029 Initial Decisions
- REF purposes
- REF guiding principles & priorities
- Foundational policy decisions
- Consultation on initial decisions
- Policy module 1 – REF 2029 Initial Decisions
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2023 Winter
- People, Culture and Environment (PCE) round tables and opportunity to provide written feedback on concerns and suggested solutions for the PCE element of REF
- People, Culture and Environment (PCE) indicators project begins
- Policy module 2 – Initial Decisions next steps
- Extension announced
- Confirmation of initial decisions policy decisions and areas for further development
- REF website launched
- User research on REF 2021 systems and processes
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2024 Spring
- Open Access consultation
- Advisory panel recruitment
- People, Culture and Environment (PCE) pilot
- Pilot HEI recruitment
- Pilot panel recruitment
- Policy module 3 – Spring release
- Timetable update with policy schedule
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2024 Summer
- Expert Panels recruitment begins
- People, Culture and Environment (PCE) indicator workshops
- Introduce web-based policy approach
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2024 to 2025 Autumn / Winter
- Policy modules
- Open Access Policy
- Volume Measure guidance and associated Codes of Practice guidance
- Policy modules
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2025 Summer
- Contribution to Knowledge and Understanding Policy and associated Code of Practice Guidance published
- Full panel membership announced
- Engagement and Impact Policy published
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2025 Autumn
- Onboarding of sub-panels
- People, Culture and Environment (PCE) Pilot Report and Indicators Report published
- PCE community engagement and feedback
- PCE criteria and definitions published
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2025/6 Winter
- Expert panels meet to develop guidance
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2026 Spring
- Guidance on Submissions published for consultation
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2026 Autumn
- Final full guidance is set
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2026 Winter
- Special requests open
- Publication of anonymised REF 2029 Steering Group and Panel meetings minutes and papers covering January 2023 to September 2026 (planned for December 2026)
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2027 Spring
- Survey of submission intentions opens
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2027 Summer
- Survey of submission intentions closes
- Special requests closes
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2027 Autumn
- Submission window opens
- Additional recruitment for assessment phase panels
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2028 Autumn
- Submission deadline
- Assessment phase begins
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2029
- Publication of results (planned for December 2029)
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2030
- Publication of submitted data
- Publication of REF 2029 reports, including REF 2029 Steering Group and Panel meetings minutes and papers covering October 2026 to December 2029 (planned for March 2030)