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REF2021

  • What makes a good REF impact case study?

    24 June 2022 by Alexis Brown

    Alexis Brown is Director of Policy and Advocacy at HEPI. HEPI has covered the Research Excellence Framework (REF) in a series of blogs by Dinah Birch, Rory Duncan, Simon Green, Andrew Linn, Cillian Ryan and Di Bailey, Bahram Bekhradnia, Peter Mandler, Andrew Wathey, Geoff Rodgers, and Nick Hillman.  This week,…

  • What does Open Research mean for the future of the REF? The next REF could better recognise the diversity of roles contributing to research

    30 May 2022 by James Cleaver, Gemma Derrick and Simon Hettrick

    In this latest contribution to our series of blogs on the REF, James Cleaver, Dr Gemma Derrick and Professor Simon Hettrick take a look at the potential implications for research assessment, were more open research practices adopted and a wider range of research outputs recognised. It is pleasing to see a broad…

  • Tales from REF Central: Reflections from REF results week

    26 May 2022 by Elizabeth Gadd

    This blog was written by Dr Elizabeth Gadd, Research Policy Manager at Loughborough University. I’ve spent my whole career in higher education, but this has been my first REF at the coalface. And so this month was my first in ‘REF Central’, our institutional hub of spreadsheet-wrangling and story-spinning, fuelled by…

  • Turning Values into Impact: The mark of a good REF?

    19 May 2022 by Andrew Linn

    This blog was written by Professor Andrew Linn, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Westminster. ‘How did REF go?’ That is the question higher education leaders are all asking each other in May 2022. It’s an odd question, rather like ‘How was the football?’ Well, seeing as you…

  • Of Babies and Bathwater: Some things which worked well in REF2021

    17 May 2022 by Simon Green

    This blog was written by Professor Simon Green, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Aston University and a member of the Area Studies sub-panel both for REF 2014 and REF 2021. Results day for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) is typically accompanied by two things. On the one hand, there is (understandable) jubilation…

  • Research Assessment: By the people for the people

    13 May 2022 by Rory Duncan

    This post is part of a series of blogs reflecting on the REF. The full list of blogs in the series can be found here. This blog was written by Professor Rory Duncan, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at Sheffield Hallam University. Rory is on Twitter @ProfRoryDuncan. The publication of the…

  • REF2021: What have we learned?

    12 May 2022 by Dinah Birch

    Following the announcement of the results of REF2021 today, join us in conversation with David Sweeney, Executive Chair of Research England, at 3pm. Register for the webinar here. This blog was written by Professor Dinah Birch, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Cultural Engagement and Professor of English Literature at the University of Liverpool, and chair…

  • The Research Excellence Framework: Time for change?

    11 May 2022 by Cillian Ryan and Di Bailey

    Following the announcement of the results of REF2021 tomorrow, join us in conversation with David Sweeney, Executive Chair of Research England. Register for the webinar here. This blog was written by Professor Cillian Ryan, Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) and Professor Di Bailey, Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) at Nottingham Trent University. The…

  • Research assessment – Time for a rethink? By Bahram Bekhradnia #REF21

    11 May 2022 by Bahram Bekhradnia

    Following the announcement of the results of REF2021 tomorrow, join us in conversation with David Sweeney, Executive Chair of Research England. Register for the webinar here. Bahram Bekhradnia has worked in education policy for more than 40 years. Bahram founded HEPI in 2002 and was its Director until January 2014, since when he has…