The last Research Excellence Framework exercise was a success.
Covid-19 meant that REF 2021 took place in difficult circumstances which impacted everyone involved. Despite this, the exercise was smooth, it commanded the confidence of the sector, and it dealt with a record number of submissions with few hiccups. The aftermath of REF 2021 has been a case study in quiet but honest reflection on some highly technical aspects of research metrics.
It would be entirely reasonable to run REF 2028 in the same way as REF 2021. The sector by and large understands the metrics underpinning REF 2021, its language has become part of the vernacular of university staff across the country, and its elements are intuitively familiar to anyone working in research administration. REF 2021 did what it said it would do and delivered more funding to more places than ever.
In reading the results of the Future Research Assessment Programme you get the impression that it is precisely because the mechanisms of REF 2021 were so successful that REF 2028 can be bolder in tackling underlying problems with the research ecosystem.
