The Research Excellence Framework (REF) provides accountability for around £2bn of public investment in research, competitively allocated across universities.
It provides evidence of the societal and economic benefits of this investment. It leverages additional research funding which universities compete for, in the UK and internationally. The UK has long been regarded as a pioneer in its research evaluations. Other countries have taken elements of our good practice and replicated it in their own systems.
The assessment process has led to an increase both in our research quality and importantly the impact that this research has on our economy and society. The government’s ambition for the UK as a global science and technology superpower relies in part on the drive for excellence which comes from the international reputation of our research.
The next REF planned in 2028 seeks to introduce a new element to the evaluation of environment – that it should also provide insights into the health of research in the UK’s higher education institutions. In order to do this, the “People, Culture and Environment” element will form an increased component of the assessment.
