On 19 May 2022 I wrote a blog for HEPI, reflecting on the recently-announced results of the Research Excellence Framework (REF2021). The question then was whether it had been a good REF and what we might mean by a ‘good REF’ in the context of external comms teams fervently trumpeting the excellence of every institution’s research outputs, impact and / or environment. Pleasing though the outcome for the University of Westminster most certainly was, our REF results were not a news headline; they were part of a story.
Support and the development of our internal community of researchers had enabled valuable impact on people’s lives and aspirations externally, on our doorstep in London and globally. My assessment back in the spring was that ‘above all, REF was good for us because it recounts our narrative [of making a difference to people’s lives]; it is an unforced version of that narrative.’
