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 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…
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REF 2029 main and sub-panel recruitment
We are pleased to announce you can now apply to join the REF 2029 panels. We are looking to appoint individuals to the following roles: We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply, even if you are not certain that you meet every criterion. We are keen to hear from individuals with varied expertise who…
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REF 2029 Open Access Policy and Consultation and Engagement summary published
We have published the full Open Access Policy for REF 2029 as well as a summary of the REF 2029 open access consultation which helped to inform it. As we communicated in August, for REF 2029 there will continue to be an open access requirement for journal articles and conference proceedings. There is no open…
