REF team ‘grappling with realities’ of 2029 exercise

Expert says practical concerns could be driving changes to open-access rules and data collection

Changes to plans for the 2029 Research Excellence Framework suggest that the organising team is “grappling with the realities” of delivering the next iteration of the UK research assessment programme, according to one expert.

The team recently announced that—contrary to earlier proposals—there will be no open-access mandate for longform submissions to the REF. This week it said the next REF will gather information about aspects such as research independence and unit of assessment at a contract level rather than a personal level, as had previously been planned.