United Kingdom

Research Excellence Framework (REF)

Purpose

Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a process of expert review to assess the excellence of academic research conducted in the UK. The first REF was carried out in 2014 but nationwide assessment of research quality in the UK started more than 30 years ago in 1986; they were known as Research Selectivity Exercise (RSE) and Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) before REF was introduced.

Initially, the main rationale for the introduction of a nationwide assessment of research quality in the UK was mainly for accountability, but further down the line the purposes of carrying out these periodic assessments evolved. The Future Research Assessment Programme (FRAP) and subsequently REF 2029 set out the following purposes:

to inform the allocation of block-grant research funding to HEIs based on research quality;
to provide accountability for public investment in research and produce evidence of the benefits of this investment;
to provide insights into the health of research in Higher Education Institutions in the UK.

REF is a comprehensive process of expert review that summatively evaluates and assesses the past performance of academic research over a defined period across 34 subject-specific units of assessment in the UK. REF plays a critical role in the allocation of funding and in shaping the reputation of higher education institutions, with both factors being strongly influenced by its results. Every submitting university department or group is assigned to a unit of assessment, where their research is evaluated and scored by specialised panels primarily via peer review. In 2021, some performance criteria (e.g. Research Environment) are also evaluated at the institutional level. Assessment at institutional level will continue in REF 2029. REF is directly tied to evaluation-based funding allocation. The results of REF panel assessments are used by each of the four funding bodies in the UK to distribute formulaic block-grant funding, known as ‘Quality-related’ (QR) funding, to higher education institutions across the UK.

Year of Introduction
1986

Census period
7-8 years

Governance agency(s)
Four higher education funding bodies of the UK: Research England, Scottish Funding Council, Medr, Wales’ Commission for Tertiary Education and Research, Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland

Most recent occurrence
2021-Present

Purpose
Accountability
Funding Allocation

Unit of Assessment
The organisation as a whole
Disciplines across organisations

Focus of Assessment
Research Culture
Scholarly Outputs
Societal Interaction

Governance

REF exercises are run by a REF Team managed and chaired by Research England on behalf of the REF Steering Group, which is comprised of the UK’s four higher education funding bodies:

Research England

Scottish Funding Council

Medr, Wales’ Commission for Tertiary Education and Research

Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland

The system is overseen by these governmental bodies, with the UK academic community actively involved in its design and periodic adjustments through consultations.

Participation in the REF is not legally mandated and is voluntary in principle. However, the vast majority of higher education institutions are incentivised to participate due to its significant funding and reputational implications.

Operation of the exercise

Aiming to support a broader assessment of excellence in REF 2029, the funding bodies have reshaped and rebalanced the three core assessment elements of the REF to include a broader range of research and impact-enabling activities. Depending on the outcome of the People Culture Environment pilot taking place in 2024-2025, these weightings will be confirmed.

1. People, culture and environment (25% weighting) – replaces the previously assessed environment element of the exercise and will include an increased emphasis on research culture.

2. Contribution to knowledge and understanding (50% weighting) – replaces the outputs element of previous exercises. It will largely be based on assessment of research outputs and will also include evidence of broader contributions to the advancement of the discipline.

3. Engagement and impact (25% weighting) – replaces the impact element of REF 2014 and REF 2021. It will consist of impact case studies and an accompanying statement.

Within the REF assessment there is consideration of both the organisation as a whole and the units within the organisation.

The REF uses an informed peer review method of assessment, whereby certain sub-panels may request use of citational data from the REF team. According to working methods guidance for REF 2021, permission could be granted on the basis that the citation data was understood by panellists to be only one element – and not the main tool – for forming peer review judgements about the academic significance of a research output. Sub-panels were also not permitted to refer to other sources of bibliometric analysis, especially the Journal Impact Factor or journal rankings.

REF 2029 will consist of 34 Units of Assessment (UoAs), each assigned to one of four main panels:

Main Panel A: Medicine, Health, and Life Sciences

Main Panel B: Physical Sciences, Engineering, and Mathematics

Main Panel C: Social Sciences

Main Panel D: Arts and Humanities

Each UoA will be evaluated by a specialized expert sub-panel, operating under the guidance of overarching main panels.

The assessment panels are supported by two advisory panels, the People and Diversity Panel (PDAP) and the Research Diversity Advisory Panel (RDAP).

PDAP aims to:

Support recognition of a diversity of roles, careers and career stages within REF 2029 development, delivery, and assessment
Advance equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) throughout REF 2029

RDAP aims to:

Support the equitable recognition of diverse forms of research throughout REF 2029 including interdisciplinary research.

History, reviews and evaluations

Changes between REF 2014 and REF 2021 can be best described as an incremental evolution to the system, compared to earlier changes (e.g. from RSE to RAE and RAE to REF) and the changes to be made to REF 2029.

Key changes from REF 2014 to REF 2021 included:

Requiring that all staff with significant responsibility for research be submitted for assessment.

Introduction in various areas of:
- New measures, guidance and template for the code of Practice to support transparency and fairness in decision making;
- Open Access requirements;
- Measures to support submission of interdisciplinary research.
Broadening definition of impact to emphasize public engagement and include impact on teaching.

Revising weighting given to the three elements being assessed: outputs, impact and environment.

Details of the changes to be made for REF 2029 are currently being worked out. The initial key decisions on the high-level design on the next assessment exercise aims to broaden the approach to assessment as well as making it more holistic.

High-level changes include:

Moving away further from assessing individuals towards assessing institutions, disciplinary groupings, and teams, including recognizing the contributions of everyone who conducts, enables and supports research.

Recognizing broader contributions to research and research processes

Reducing the focus on research outputs as the sole means to demonstrate excellence and placing focus on research culture and environment as key conditions for producing excellent research

Last updated: May 2025

Acknowledgement: Information provided by Claire Fraser, Catriona Firth, and Marie-Helene Nienaltowski.