Tagged / Code of Practice

REF Code of Practice consultation is open!

Research assessment

On Wednesday 25 February, we opened a staff consultation on our draft Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029 Code of Practice. All colleagues are invited to engage in the consultation and to provide feedback to shape our REF submission approach.

All the information about the consultation and the full Code of Practice can be found on the Research and Innovation Services pages on the Staff Hub.

What is the REF?

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the UK’s system for assessing the excellence of research in UK higher education institutions (HEIs). The next exercise is REF 2029.

The purpose of the REF is to:

  • Inform the allocation of block-grant research funding to HEIs based on research quality
  • Provide accountability for public investment in research and produce evidence of the benefits of this investment
  • Provide insights into the health of research in HEIs in the UK.

The REF is an expert review process. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) make submissions in specific subject areas, known as Units of Assessment (UoAs). Each submission is assessed by an expert sub-panel, working under the guidance of main and advisory panels.

Why is the REF important?

The REF is a national exercise which enables HEIs and researchers to showcase the excellent research which is being undertaken and the impact that research is having. In REF 2021:

  • 94% of BU research was found to be internationally recognised or above, with 19% found to be world-leading in quality
  • 95.7% of our research was found to be delivering considerable impact or above, with 31.5% achieving an outstanding impact score.

The REF is very important to BU, both in terms of funding and reputation. REF results are used in university ranking tables and we currently receive over £6 million per year in quality-related research (QR) funding because of our performance in the last REF.

What is the Code of Practice?

A Code of Practice (CoP) is a mandatory requirement for REF 2029, which sets a minimum standard for participation. Higher Education Institutions wishing to make a submission to REF 2029 must have a CoP approved by the funding bodies.

We need to submit our CoP to Research England between 11 and 15 May 2026.

What does it cover?

BU’s CoP sets out the processes we will follow for submission to REF 2029. It describes our policies and procedures for:

  • identifying teaching and research contracts with Significant Responsibility for Research (SRR)
  • identifying research-only contracts with research independence (RI)
  • allocating contracts to UoAs
  • the selection of outputs for submission.

Consultation timeline

The consultation will run for three weeks, from 25 February to 18 March. Alongside publishing the full CoP and associated FAQs, we will be hosting the following events to provide further information on the REF and the CoP:

  • Wednesday 4 March, 2pm to 3pm, online
  • Tuesday 10 March, 3pm to 4pm, Lansdowne Campus, S108, Studland House and online
  • Friday 13 March, 10am and 11am, Talbot Campus, Share Lecture Theatre, in-person only.

These events are open to all staff and will provide an opportunity to ask questions and discuss the proposals in more detail.

An online Padlet is also available through the Research and Innovation Services pages to enable anonymous feedback.

We encourage everyone to get involved, ask questions and provide feedback to refine our CoP and shape our REF submission approach.

New QAA Chapter on Research Degrees Published

PG research

Following its recent consultation exercise, the QAA has published the UK Quality Code for Higher Education – Chapter B11: Research Degrees.

This Chapter of the UK Quality Code for Higher Education (the Quality Code) sets out the expectation that research degrees are awarded in a research environment that provides a secure academic standard for doing research and learning about research approaches, methods, procedures and protocols. This environment offers students equality of opportunity and the support they need to achieve successful academic, personal and professional outcomes from research degrees. It is informed by a wider context in which UK research degrees are offered, including an environment of continuous improvement and the desire to learn from others’ experiences in research education. It replaces Section 1 of the Code of Practice: Postgraduate research programmes, published in 2004.

The BU Code of Practice for Research Degrees reflects the best practice set out in this Chapter and the version for 2012/13 is currently being updated to reflect the enhanced expectations set out in this new Chapter B11:  Research Degrees.

The chapter includes references to the Vitae Researcher Development Statement/Framework (www.vitae.ac.uk/rdf; www.vitae.ac.uk/rds) and the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. The Vitae Researcher Development Framework represents a major new approach to researcher development and provides a unique professional development framework for researchers in higher education.  Vitae welcomes the aspects of the Quality Code relating to career and personal development of students undertaking doctoral and research master’s degrees. In particular, the guidance to the following sections makes reference to the Vitae Researcher Development Statement/Framework:

  • The research environment
  • Selection, admission and induction of students
  • Supervision
  • Development of research and other skills

The Graduate School is working closely with Academic Schools to develop a comprehensive framework of generic and subject specific development opportunities for PGR students in 2012/13.