Up in arms

Reasons to be cheerful about research but concerns about USS investments

The Research Excellence Framework has its fair share of detractors, but as former vice-chancellor Nigel Thrift wrote in a paper for the Higher Education Policy Institute earlier this month, the REF also represents one of the best ways for universities to show the government that they are doing excellent research that deserves to be rewarded financially.

Playbook is usually more than happy to treat the world of education policy with a healthy pinch of salt—and when it comes to Whitehall and higher education, there are so many devils in the detail that you can’t really blame us. However, sometimes it is important to take a step back and consider some of the amazing contributions that UK research is making both nationally and internationally.