Impact pilot exercise
In the Research Excellence Framework significant additional recognition will be given where high quality research has contributed to the economy, society, public policy, culture, the environment, international development or quality of life.
We are currently developing our proposals for how to assess research impact through a pilot exercise which is due to complete in autumn 2010. The key parameters that underpin the approach we are developing were published as part of the initial decisions in HEFCE Circular letter 04/2010 taken after the 2009 consultation on the REF.
We expect to make a full, detailed announcement about the method for assessing impact, and the weighting of this element within the overall assessment, after the pilot exercise has completed.
Pilot exercise
In autumn 2009 we launched a pilot exercise to test and develop the method for assessing the impact of research. The pilot exercise involves 29 higher education institutions submitting evidence of impact to be assessed by pilot expert panels in five units of assessment:
- Clinical Medicine
- Physics
- Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences
- Social Work and Social Policy & Administration
- English Language and Literature
The membership of the pilot expert panels includes senior practising researchers and leading figures from a range of organisations that commission or use research including businesses, public sector bodies, charities and other third sector organisations. The panels will assess the pilot submissions and report on the lessons learned.
Each submission to the pilot exercise includes:
- An impact statement for the submitting unit as a whole, describing the breadth of interactions with research users and an overview of positive impacts achieved. (This includes data about research income from key categories of research 'users'.)
- A number of case studies illustrating and providing evidence of specific examples of impact (each submission includes a total of one case study for every ten members of research staff).
Guidance for the pilot institutions on how to prepare submissions is available below.
As we develop the impact proposals we are keen to have continuing, extensive dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders. As part of this, we are:
- holding a series of workshops to investigate the nature of impact and its assessment in a wider range of disciplines, especially in the arts, humanities and social sciences
- sponsoring Kings College London to hold a conference on 25 June to discuss the progress of the pilot exercise.
Further information
Steering Group: terms of reference and membership
[ Download Steering Group: terms of reference and membership as Adobe PDF 9K | Download Steering Group: terms of reference and membership as MS Word 55K ]
Participating institutions and units of assessment
[ Download Participating institutions and units of assessment as Adobe PDF 25K | Download Participating institutions and units of assessment as MS Word 72K ]
Membership of expert panels
[ Download Membership of expert panels as Adobe PDF 117K | Download Membership of expert panels as MS Word 141K ]
Guidance on submissions for participating institutions
[ Download Guidance on submissions for participating institutions as Adobe PDF 314K | Download Guidance on submissions for participating institutions as as MS Word 307K ]
Guidance to expert panels
[ Download Guidance to expert panels as Adobe PDF 238K | Download guidance to expert panels as MS Word 173K ]
Our initial proposals were informed by a review of approaches to assessing research impact internationally.
Further information – including guidance to the panels on how to assess the submissions - will be added to this web page as the pilot progresses. To receive e-mail alerts when information is added, please join our REF-NEWS mailing list.
Last updated 15 June 2010