Last updated: 4 September 2025
Please note that these timings are subject to change, dependant on the outcome of the REF pause announced on 4 September 2025. An updated timetable will be published when the pause has concluded. The assessment dates are not expected to change.
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)