Today the REF team have announced the membership of the REF People, Culture and Environment (PCE) pilot panels. Full panel membership can be found here and a blog updating on the pilot was published yesterday.
REF 2029 will deliver an expanded definition of research excellence, recognising the wide range of research, roles, and people that are essential to the vitality of the UK’s vibrant research system.
A key part of this expanded definition is the development of the PCE element. Announced in January 2024, the PCE pilot exercise aims to use the findings from the PCE indicators project to explore the practicality of submission and assessment of various elements of PCE. This assessment will be carried out by the PCE pilot panels.
In the pilot, a broad sample of 40 HEIs will produce submissions for assessment in a selection of REF Units of Assessment (UoAs). These submissions will be assessed by eight UoA-level pilot panels, with institutional-level submissions examined by a separate panel. This institutional-level panel will be comprised of the UoA co-chairs, and chaired by Professor Chris Day, CBE, who chaired the REF 2021 Environment Panel.
The PCE pilot exercise will be overseen by the REF Steering Group and will run alongside the ongoing PCE indicators project. The REF 2029 advisory panels will also be engaged to provide expert advice.
The experience and feedback of the panels will be included in the final pilot report, which will inform the REF 2029 guidance on PCE. Please see the PCE timetable for more information.
Some of the pilot panel members share their thoughts on PCE:
Professor Anne Boddington
Co-chair of the PCE pilot panel for UoA 33
“As a former sub-panel chair, I am delighted to be working on the pilot to ensure we have clear, practical criteria that enable all HE providers to showcase how they support their research communities to conduct quality research and make an impact.”
Professors Kevin Shakesheff and Carmel Hughes
Co-chairs of the PCE pilot panel for UoA 3
“We are excited about the opportunity to help our research communities shape the future of this important aspect of REF. Universities and Research institutions are enhancing the environments they create and the support they offer to staff and research students but it can be difficult to assess this fairly and transparently. We hope to learn from the pilot submissions and help develop a PCE process that is respected by research communities.”
Dr Kelly Vere MBE
Panel member from the PCE pilot panel for UoA 7
“My work with the technical community has shown me how the research and innovation ecosystem thrives on the diversity of roles and contributions. I will help to ensure these diverse perspectives are represented and valued.”
Drs Astrid Wissenberg
Co-chair of the PCE pilot panel for UoA 20
“I am very privileged to co-chair one of the PCE pilot panels, building on my experience in RAE and REF assessments since 2005. I look forward to helping to find approaches to assess excellence in research culture, having championed this area for well over a decade.”
Please note, we have identified an issue with our data and we are unable to confirm the panellists for UoA 11. We will publish these at a later date and update the panel page with those names.