Research Excellence Framework
Measuring the quality of university research is needed to show where the highest quality research expertise is located by subject; to provide accountability for the investment of public funds and to demonstrate the value of research to society and the economy. This informs the allocation of QR research funding to universities, through the block grant allocation from the four UK higher education funding bodies.
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the new system for assessing the quality of research in UK HEIs and is replacing the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). Institutions will submit their highest quality research in late autumn 2013 for assessment in 36 subject areas, termed units of assessment (UOAs). Sub-panels will carry out the quality assessment under the guidance of four main panels. The assessment will be completed in 2014 and the results will drive research funding from 2015.
There are three main factors which will be measured by REF:
- Quality will continue to be the primary factor in the assessment (as it was for RAE) and will be assessed by the expert panels against international standards of excellence. As for RAE-2008, quality will be measured on a five-point scale from 4* (the highest) to 1* and unclassified.
- Impact: New for REF, the wider impact of research in terms of the contribution made to society and the economy by excellent research will also be included, which will also require substantiating evidence from research users.
- Environment: The vitality of the research environment will be included through a variety of metrics
Our submission strategy for REF
Our university research strategy is driving the expansion of our research base and the improvements in our research culture through our network of Centres of Excellence for Research. This will broaden and deepen the portfolio of research we will be able to submit for assessment to REF in 2013.
For REF we plan to:
- Double the number of staff submitted to REF from 100 in RAE-2008 to 200 for REF
- Increase the number of subjects (UoAs) to which we submit from seven for RAE-2008 to between 10 and 12 for REF, depending on the final configuration of the REF sub-panels
- To double the number of research students submitted
- To double the research income returnable to REF attributed to our research active staff