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Research Excellence Framework Service

Helping universities to turn research outputs into impact case studies

Research Excellence Framework Service

Turning research output into research impact

Impact is of increasing importance to funders, in particular UKRI and Research England. Since 2007, RCUK (now UKRI) has required university researchers to describe the potential impact from the research and what will be done to enhance the likelihood of it being realised.

ProspectIP works with a number of universities, helping them to turn their research output into impact case studies for REF 2021.

Why does the Research Excellence Framework matter?

To put it simply, the results of a Research Excellence Framework (REF) audit can determine a university’s funding and reputation for years to come.

Introduced in 2014, the REF is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. For those universities in England, the REF is carried out by Research England.

Each submission to REF is reviewed by an expert panel made up of senior academics, international members and research users. The panel will be assessing the submission against three distinct elements:

  • The quality of outputs (such as publications, performances, and exhibitions)
  • Their impact beyond academia (such as how a piece of medical science has benefited the wider community)
  • The environment that supports research

The next REF audit will take place in 2021. ProspectIP can help you to ensure your submission clearly explains the outputs and impact of your valuable research to maximise your funding potential.

Find out more

To boost your research commercialisation efforts or to find out more about improving impact and financial return from research please get in touch with us at info@prospectip.com or call 0845 625 4825.