The information submitted here will be used to provide the sector with opportunity to contribute to the final development of Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029 policies. The survey is open to Higher Education Institutions (HEI), individuals and other relevant organisations. Those submitting on behalf of an HEI or organisation are required to have approval from the relevant head of organisation before submitting.
This information includes: full name, job title, employer’s name, and qualitative responses to REF 2029 policy-related questions, with both free text and yes/no questions. An anonymised summary of the outcomes of the survey will be published in spring 2027. All remaining data will be deleted immediately following the publication of the summary, as per the REF 2029 Retention and Deletion Schedule.
We will process your information to facilitate the following activities relating to key policy areas:
- gathering sector input on three key policy areas where the proposed direction of travel is either substantially different to existing published guidance or where the policy is untested with the sector
- ensuring that final published policies are robust and achieve sector confidence
The information is obtained by UKRI in their capacity of public authority from a submitter on behalf of their organisation or as an individual. The confidential data that has been submitted by the HEIs or an individual has appropriate consents and notices in place to enable lawful transfer of such confidential data to UKRI for the duration and purposes of the REF sector survey. The disclosure of the information to the public would constitute a breach of confidence.
Collected data will be viewed by members of staff from UKRI (Research England), the Scottish Funding Council, Medr, the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research and, the Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland. Names of those submitting on behalf of an HEI or organisation can be viewed by other staff at said HEI or organisation on request, to allow collaboration and reduce duplicate submissions.
Anonymised data will be analysed using Microsoft Copilot, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot, within UKRI’s secure tenant. Any arising decisions will be made by the REF team.
All personal data provided to UKRI in connection with the REF sector survey will be managed in line with the current UK data protection legislation. Further information on how we use personal data, and how you can exercise your rights as a data subject, can be found in UKRI’s privacy notice.
UKRI reserves the right to publish and share anonymised summarised information with stakeholders. To request further information on data processing related to this survey, please email admin@ref.ac.uk.