‘Considerable risks’ with parts of REF reform, conference hears

Removal of minimum and maximum staff outputs brings risks but “more holistic submissions” are expected

There are “considerable risks” associated with dropping the requirement for minimum or maximum research outputs from staff in the Research Excellence Framework, but other aspects of the exercise will mitigate those risks, according to a leading figure behind the reforms.

Plans for an overhaul of the REF, which takes place every seven years and is used to distribute around £2 billion in quality-related research funding to UK universities, were published last month.