REF: Research Excellence Framework

Details of how well we did in the last RAE are on our main research page.

As stated on the HEFCE REF website:

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the new system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions (HEIs). It will replace the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).

Submission dates:

31 July 2013	End of assessment period (for research impacts, the research environment and data about research income and research doctoral degrees awarded)
31 October 2013	Census date for staff eligible for selection
29 November 2013	Closing date for submissions
31 December 2013	End of publication period (cut-off point for publication of research outputs, and for outputs underpinning impact case studies)

Links to relevant documents:

• Consultation on draft panel criteria and working methods (HEFCE, July 2011)
• Assessment framework and guidance on submissions (HEFCE, July 2011)
• Outcomes of the impact pilot exercise
  • Decisions on assessing research impact (HEFCE, March 2011)
  • REF impact pilot exercise: Findings of the expert panels (HEFCE, November 2010)
  • REF Research Impact Pilot Exercise – Lessons-Learned Project: Feedback on Pilot Submissions (Technopolis, November 2010, PDF)
  • REF impact will be lighter but also more widespread (THE, November 2010)
• Universities and Science Minister David Willetts delivered his first major science speech at the Royal Institution (9 July 2010)
  • The REF will be delayed for one year in order "to figure out whether there is a method of assessing impact which is sound and which is acceptable to the academic community".
  • The assessment phase of the REF will take place during 2014.
• Parliamentary Science and Technology Committee Reports
  • Setting priorities for publicly funded research (HL-104, 1 April 2010, PDF)
    • chapter 4 has a section on impact
  • The impact of spending cuts on science and scientific research (HC-335, 23 March 2010, PDF)
    • section 3 is about demonstrating impact
• Second REF consultation
  • initial decisions and next steps (circular letter, HEFCE, 25 March 2010)
    • Annex A: initial decisions (PDF)
  • summary of responses (HEFCE, March 2010, PDF)
    • computing response (UKCRC, November 2009, PDF)
  • a critique (HEPI, 15 October 2009, PDF)
  • a brief guide to the proposals (HEFCE, October 2009, PDF)
  • consultation document (September 2009, PDF)