The REF outcomes are used in three different ways: to demonstrate the quality of UK research, to burnish the reputation of specific universities, and in England, to distribute £1.5bn via Research England, and specifically £1bn of quality-related (QR) income.
Elsewhere on the site, James Coe provides a stout defence of the principles of QR. Here I’m going to probe the levers and pulleys that Research England can operate to affect QR allocations.
