Research Excellence Framework

Research Excellence Framework

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the national system for examining the quality of research in UK universities. The first REF was completed in 2014, when it replaced the Research Assessment Exercise. Read the results of our 2014 submission.

The aim of the REF is to make sure the UK continues to be a world-class, dynamic and responsive centre of research across all areas of UK higher education. UK Research and Innovation expect that the three aims of REF will achieve this: 

• To provide accountability for public investment in research and produce evidence of the benefits of this investment
• To provide benchmarking information and establish reputational yardsticks, for use within the HE sector and for public information
• To inform the selective allocation of funding for research

The REF is a process of expert review, carried out by panels for each of the 34 subject-based units of assessment (UOAs) and guided by four main panels.

For each submission there are three areas that are looked at:

1. The quality of outputs (eg: publications, performances, and exhibitions)
2. Impact beyond academia (e.g in the wider world)
3. The Environment that supports research