Research and Business

Research

• Applying for Funding
• Ethics
• Research Excellence Framework (REF)
• Staff Development
• Online Research Archive
• School Research Activity
• Contacts
• Research News
• Business Experts Directory
• News and Events

Research Excellence Framework (REF)

Research Assessment Exercise

• University of Bradford RAE 2008 Results Summary (excel 75kb)
• Full results of the last four RAEs

Research Excellence Framework

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) will replace the RAE for the next assessment. REF will differ from RAE in several ways, in particular the introduction of the assessment of the impact of research on non-academic users. Citation counts for journal articles will also be used to inform decisions for the first time but only in some subject areas.

Regular updates on REF will appear here until November 2013. If you have any questions please contact Susan Taylor on s.m.taylor4@bradford.ac.uk.

July 2011

The REF2014 Guidance on Submissions and the Consultation documentation around the REF2014 Panel Criteria and Working Methods is expected to be released towards the end of July.

June 2011

REF have recently announced a commitment to equality and diversity and an inclusive approach to encouraging research submissions. An equality and diversity expert group (Adobe PDF) has been established to advise on ways to strengthen the equalities and diversity measures in the REF.

May 2011

The University has an online research archive 'Bradford Scholars' which many academics have been contributing a selection of their research papers to. Data can be fed directly from the repository into the REF workflow and supports the enter-once-use-many-times approach to research information management.

Please begin depositing your journal articles, book chapters and other scholarly materials into Bradford Scholars to prepare for the REF. Read more about how Bradford Scholars supports research and knowledge transfer activity.

March 2011

The closing date for submissions has been set as 29th November 2013. The REF timetable has been released.  See a summary below or view a full version.

February 2011

Membership of the expert panels for the upcoming REF were announced on 21 February. The membership comprises a balance of academic subject experts and those with expertise in the use or contribution of research more widely, as well as members with an international perspective on the main panels. Further members are still to be appointed by the four funding bodies to a small number of panels. An updated membership list will be published when the process is complete. See current members list¿. The HEFCE REF team will now work with the chairs and members of the panels during 2011 to develop the criteria for the assessment in 2014.

January 2011

After consultation across the sector, HEFCE have decided to go ahead with REF as the vehicle for the assessment and funding of research (the REF will replace the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).  Full details of the process have not yet been published but enought information is known for the University to begin to plan and develop our submission.

Schools are currently undertaking an exercise to ascertain the quality of colleagues' research publications and we will be working with Schools over the next 3 years to help increase quality levels across the University.

We are also undertaking a pilot exercise to develop 3 Case Studies which demonstrate the impact of the research we do - this is an aspect of assessment new to REF.  These Case Studies should be finalised by Easter and then a set of good practice guidelines will be rolled out across the University to help other areas develop their Impact Case Studies.

HEFCE Provisonal Timetable for REF 2014 (revised 2011)

Case studies detailing examples of impact should have taken place during period 1st January 2008 - 31st July 2013 and must be underpinned by research produced in the period 1st January 1993 - 31st December 2013

September to December 2009	Consultation exercise and initiate impact pilot exercise
1st January 2008 - 31st December 2013	Period for outputs included in Submission
1st August 2008 - 31st July 2013	Period for research income and postgraduate research students
31st October 2013	Census date for staff in post to be eligible for inclusion
Spring 2010	Announce high level consultation outcomes; Invite nominations for panels;    Start developing REF data collection system
Autumn 2010	Conclude impact pilot exercise; (Publish guidance on submissions; Appoint panels)
February 2011	Panel Members announced
Mid 2011	Guidance on submissions published; Panels consult on criteria
Late 2011	Panel Criteria and Working Methods published
Early 2013	Submission system operational
29th November 2013	Closing date for submissions
31st December 2013	End of Publication Period
December 2014	Panels assess submissions.  Outcomes published
Spring 2015	Determine funding based on results