Results Of Research Excellence Framework 2021 Published

Leo Migdal
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results of research excellence framework 2021 published

Although major players still dominate on research power, some large – and small – regional institutions have made their mark Greater weighting helps medical institutions in particular improve overall positions Main panel C records biggest increase in number of submissions and participating staff The latest iteration of the UK’s national research audit has fulfilled its aim to identify research quality across the whole system, says David Sweeney While new technologies seen as ‘game changer’ for national-level research assessment, study finds vehement opposition, particularly among humanities scholars In Unit of Assessment 12, 71% of Oxford’s submission was judged to be 4* (the highest score available, for research quality that is world-leading)

Today (12th May 2022), the UK Funding Bodies have published the results of the recent national research assessment exercise, the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021. The REF 2021 results show Oxford’s submission had the highest volume of world-leading research. [1] The University of Oxford made the largest submission of any Higher Education Institution in the UK, submitting over 3,600 researchers (3,405 full time equivalent) into 29 subject areas, over 8,500 research outputs in a... Research from the Department of Engineering Science and Department of Materials was jointly submitted to Unit of Assessment 12 – Engineering. In this Unit of Assessment, 71% of Oxford’s submission was judged to be 4* (the highest score available, for research quality that is world-leading in terms of originality, significance, and rigour).

Head of Department Professor Ronald A. Roy welcomed the news, saying "The Department is thankful to all the staff, researchers and students who made this outcome possible by fostering a diverse, dynamic, and vigorous research environment. We are also appreciative of the efforts of our colleagues in the Department of Materials who co-authored the REF submission, and to all who contributed to the attainment of an excellent result." The REF website uses cookies to make the site more efficient. Find out more about cookies and how we use them. document.write('<span class="close" title="Close">x<\/span>');

The results of the UK-wide assessment of university research, conducted through the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF), have been published. The 2021 assessment process has identified a substantial proportion of world-leading research across all UK nations and English regions, and across the full range of subject areas. For the first time, the assessment included the submission of all staff with significant responsibility for research, meaning the results provide a unique insight into the quality of research conducted across the breadth of... The REF provides a robust and thorough assessment of the quality of universities’ research in all disciplines, providing accountability for public investment in research and demonstrating the benefits of that investment. In total, 157 UK universities participated, submitting over 76,000 academic staff. Submissions included research outputs, examples of the wider benefits of research and evidence about the research environment.

This material was assessed by a series of expert panels comprising UK and international researchers, external users of research and experts in interdisciplinary research. Overall, the panels judged 41 per cent of the submitted work to be ‘world-leading’ (4*) and a further 43 per cent to be ‘internationally excellent’ (3*). The assessment provides rich information on the strengths of UK university research that will be helpful for businesses and other users of research to identify potential partners. The REF website uses cookies to make the site more efficient. Find out more about cookies and how we use them. document.write('<span class="close" title="Close">x<\/span>');

REF 2021 was delivered by the REF team, based at Research England, on behalf of the four funding bodies. This report provides the REF Director’s review of the operational delivery of the exercise by the REF team, across the period from its inception in 2017 until its completion in 2022. This report analyses the representativeness of academic staff holding significant responsibility for research and submitted to REF 2021 compared to the wider UK population, of distribution of output attribution amongst submitted staff, and scoring... Assessment of the research environment in REF should focus on the university, instead of discipline level, recommends the panel that has been piloting a new assessment process. EDAP members Raheela Khan, Fiona Ross and Tessa Parkes consider what the analysis of data from REF 2021 tells us about how people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups have been able to... The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a research impact evaluation of British Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

It is the successor to the Research Assessment Exercise and it was first used in 2014 to assess the period 2008–2013.[1][2] REF is undertaken by the four UK higher education funding bodies: Research England,... To support these aims, research has increasingly highlighted the need for evidence-based approaches to measuring research impact. For example, Jensen et al. (2021) emphasized that high-quality research impact evaluations should integrate evidence-based methods to ensure societal benefits.[4] Critics argue, inter alia, that there is too much focus on the impact of research outside of the university system, and that impact has no real relevance to the quality of research.[citation needed] It... (2024) suggests that reframing engagement in research through a post-stakeholder lens may address some of these criticisms, by emphasizing voice, context, and power in the impact process.[5] It has repeatedly been argued that REF...

The latest REF was in 2021, with results released in May 2022, continuing the previous assessment model of focusing on research outputs, research impact and research environment.[7] This process was slightly delayed because of... Recent research on stakeholder analysis frameworks, such as the 3i framework (Interests, Influence, and Impact) by Reed et al. (2025), has highlighted the importance of identifying relevant actors in decision-making processes to maximize research impact in contexts like REF assessments.[9] On this page you’ll find accurate and accessible breakdowns of REF 2021 scores for subject areas at individual UK universities. This includes the overall research ranking for each subject area at a university as well as results for the individual elements (Outputs, Impact and Environment) that determine this overall score. To begin viewing data for the REF 2021 results, select a university using the menu above.

This will bring up a list of subject areas for that university and allow you to view REF 2021 data according to your research interests. Alternatively, you can read our guide to the REF 2021 and what it means for PhD students. FindAPhD. Copyright 2005-2025 All rights reserved. Have you got time to answer some quick questions about PhD study? You haven’t completed your profile yet.

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Although major players still dominate on research power, some large – and small – regional institutions have made their mark Greater weighting helps medical institutions in particular improve overall positions Main panel C records biggest increase in number of submissions and participating staff The latest iteration of the UK’s national research audit has fulfilled its aim to identify research qua...

Today (12th May 2022), The UK Funding Bodies Have Published

Today (12th May 2022), the UK Funding Bodies have published the results of the recent national research assessment exercise, the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021. The REF 2021 results show Oxford’s submission had the highest volume of world-leading research. [1] The University of Oxford made the largest submission of any Higher Education Institution in the UK, submitting over 3,600 researc...

Head Of Department Professor Ronald A. Roy Welcomed The News,

Head of Department Professor Ronald A. Roy welcomed the news, saying "The Department is thankful to all the staff, researchers and students who made this outcome possible by fostering a diverse, dynamic, and vigorous research environment. We are also appreciative of the efforts of our colleagues in the Department of Materials who co-authored the REF submission, and to all who contributed to the at...

The Results Of The UK-wide Assessment Of University Research, Conducted

The results of the UK-wide assessment of university research, conducted through the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF), have been published. The 2021 assessment process has identified a substantial proportion of world-leading research across all UK nations and English regions, and across the full range of subject areas. For the first time, the assessment included the submission of all staf...

This Material Was Assessed By A Series Of Expert Panels

This material was assessed by a series of expert panels comprising UK and international researchers, external users of research and experts in interdisciplinary research. Overall, the panels judged 41 per cent of the submitted work to be ‘world-leading’ (4*) and a further 43 per cent to be ‘internationally excellent’ (3*). The assessment provides rich information on the strengths of UK university ...