Submission to Lord Stern's review of the Research Excellence Framework

The Academy of Medical Sciences responded to a call from Lord Stern for evidence to inform his inquiry into the Research Excellence Framework.

Status:

In March 2016, the Academy submitted evidence to inform Lord Nicholas Stern's independent inquiry into the Research Excellence Framework (REF). The review is examining how university research funding can be allocated more efficiently so that universities can focus on carrying out world-leading research.

Our submission drew on the expertise of our Fellowship and examined the broad scope of the REF exercise, and it's impact on the research sector. In particular, our input explores:

  • The role of REF in showcasing the UK's world-leading research outputs, particularly during the 2015 Spending Review.
  • The success of the expanded impact component, and the need to protect this element of the assessment.
  • The improved capturing of individual staff circumstances, which raised the visibility of the diverse workforce delivering excellence in the UK.
  • Options for streamlining, whilst acknowledging the realistic scale of potential savings.
  • Possible alternative models, which the review may wish to explore, to mitigate the risk of perverse incentives within the current system.
  • The need to proactively engage with legal concerns around data retention, to ensure these assets deliver the best possible value.

In particular, our submission explored the changing nature of research, including the rise of team science, which will require a significant reappraisal of how outputs are attributed in future assessments. REF plays an important role in incentivising ways of working, and the recent Academy report on Team Science sets out several relevant recommendations in this area.

 

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