With the publication due shortly of HEFCE's final proposal for consultation on the new Research Excellence Framework (REF), HEPI is organising a major conference for the Autumn which will consider HEFCE's proposal as well as the underlying questions of the purposes and benefits of publicly funded research and how widely or selectively funding should be distributed between universities. The HEPI Conference is to be held at the Royal Society on Wednesday 14 October 2009 and will coincide with the publication of two new HEPI reports that relate to the research excellence framework.

The past 3 years have seen considerable discussion about HEFCE's proposal to replace the RAE with a new assessment process - the Research Excellence Framework (REF). However, the assessment process does not stand in isolation of the policies it is intended to deliver and HEPI's conference will provide an important independent forum to address the key questions:

• What should these policies be and what should we be asking of the government's funding for research?
• What are its purposes and what allocation processes would best deliver these?
• Is the dual support system bound to continue?
• Is the country best served by the present highly selective funding - what should be the balance between considerations of quality, fairness and value for money?
• How do HEFCE's proposals for the new REF match these needs and purposes?

HEPI's conference will bring together some of senior players in the sector who will play an important role in taking the decisions on these key questions and will be of major interest to senior policy-makers in HE and government as well as the academic research community.

Speakers at the conference include Professor Michael Arthur, Vice-Chancellor, University of Leeds and Chairman-elect of the Russell Group; Professor Ian Diamond, Chief Executive, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC); Professor Michael Driscoll, Vice-Chancellor, Middlesex University and former Chair of the Million+ Group; Professor David Eastwood, Vice-Chancellor, University of Birmingham, and former Chief Executive of HEFCE; Sir Alan Langlands, Chief Executive, HEFCE ; Adrian Smith, Director General of Science and Research, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; Professor Nigel Thrift, Vice-Chancellor, University of Warwick; Professor Edward Acton, Vice-Chancellor, University of East Anglia, Professor Dame Julia Higgins, Principal, Faculty of Engineering, Imperial College and chair of a main RAE panel; and Phil Willis MP, Chair of the House of Commons Select Committee on Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills.

For further details and to book a place at the HEPI Conference, please visit the Events section of our website.