The Research Excellence Framework (REF)

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) replaces the RAE (Research Assessment Exercise) to access research across all subject disciplines in UK Higher Education Institutions.

The main purpose is to:

• To act as an assessment for funding allocations by each of the four UK research funding bodies.
• Provide accountability for public funding of research and demonstrate the benefits.
• Provide benchmarks and reputational yardsticks.

The University of Exeter’s results of the RAE 2008 can be found on RAE 2008 Results Page

The University of Exeter was one of twenty nine UK higher Education Institutions involved in the Impact Pilot Exercise as part of the testing and development proposals for assessing impact in the REF. The University of Exeter was chosen to undertake Impact Pilot Exercises in English Language and Literature and Clinical Medicine UOA’s. Following the contribution of results from the pilot the Higher Education funding bodies announced how they had decided to assess impact in the REF.

Impact

The impact of research is of increasing importance to higher education; funding councils ask for Pathways to Impact plans in grant applications, and impact is one of the three elements that the Research Excellence Framework focuses on to assess higher education institutions. We can help our academics and researchers to identify and accentuate the impact of their work, and aid them in preparing Pathways to Impact plans and summaries. Examples of some of Exeter's research impact can be found in the latest SetSquared 'Changing Worlds' brochure.