REF 2014 admin costs were higher than predicted

The cost to the UK’s four higher education funding bodies of administering the 2014 Research Excellence Framework was £14.4 million, £2.4m more than the equivalent costs for the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.

The 2014 REF proved more expensive than expected, with the funding bodies initially planning an expenditure of £13.2m, according to a report from REF manager Graeme Rosenberg, published on 20 March. The budget was revised twice during the course of the exercise, the report says, as it became clear just how many panellists and panel meetings would be needed. 

The main reasons why the REF cost 20 per cent more than the RAE were the additional meeting days required for assessing impact, the need for additional policy development and piloting, increased IT costs and more fully accounted indirect staffing costs, the report says.