The Research Excellence Framework (REF) assesses the quality and impact of research in the UK, and in 2014 was used to allocate £10.2 bn of funding to universities. In 2014 the REF, for the first-time, included an assessment of the wider societal impact of research through narrative case studies, with many excellent examples coming from development research.

The funders are currently consulting widely on possible changes to the next round of the REF in 2021 including around assessing impact. This is an opportunity to help shape how research is valued and assessed in the UK and the incentives that influence the research system. Our new briefing paper provides a summary of the REF2014 process and proposed changes in REF2021 of particular relevance to development research such as interdisciplinarity and definitions of impact.

The deadline for responses to the consultation is 12pm (GMT) on March 17th.