Research Excellence Framework (REF)
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the UK’s system for assessing the excellence of research in UK higher education providers (HEIs). The REF outcomes are used to inform the allocation of around £2 billion per year of public funding for universities’ research.
The REF was first carried out in 2014, replacing the previous Research Assessment Exercise. Research England manages the REF on behalf of all four UK higher education funding bodies:
- Research England
- Scottish Funding Council
- Higher Education Funding Council for Wales
- Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland
The funding bodies’ shared policy aim for research assessment is to secure a world-class, dynamic and responsive research base across the full academic spectrum within UK higher education.
The REF objectives are to:
- provide accountability for public investment in research and produce evidence of the benefits of this investment
- provide benchmarking information and establish reputational yardsticks, for use in the higher education sector and for public information
- inform the selective allocation of funding for research
No detriment
The review of outputs for REF exercises, and the decision on which outputs to submit, is based on achieving the optimum result for Lancaster as a leading research-intensive university. Information gathered through REF preparations such as output ratings, the selection of individual outputs and impact case studies for submission, or any other information (such as individual staff circumstances for REF2021) will be used for this purpose only. The University will not use this information as part of redundancy or probation considerations or for promotion and reward relating to a staff member’s employment.
