Welsh academics to play key role in REF2029 process

Wales’ voice in UK research is evident in the announcement of the new chairs who will lead sub-panels through the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2029, the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.

Four academics based in Wales, three of them Fellows of the Learned Society of Wales, are among the 34 names who will establish the membership and criteria for each of the panels, before taking them through the research assessment process itself.

The sub-panels carry out expert reviews of research submitted by higher education institutions, judged against a set of subject-based measures, or units of assessment (UoAs). The outcomes of REF are used to determine the allocation of around £2 billion of annual public funding for university research across the UK.

“It’s encouraging to see these leading academics in Wales playing a pivotal role in the REF process, and across such a breadth of subjects.” – Olivia Harrison, Chief Executive.

Professor Qiang Shen FLSW (Aberystwyth University) will chair the Computer Science and Informatics sub-panel; Professor Rick Delbridge FLSW (Cardiff University) will chair Business and Management Studies; Professor Chris Taylor FLSW (Cardiff University) will be deputy-chair for the Education sub-panel; and Professor Sheldon Hanton (Cardiff Metropolitan University) will chair Sport and Exercise Sciences, Leisure and Tourism. Professor James Scourse FLSW (Exeter University) will chair the Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences sub-panel.

REF Director Rebecca Fairbairn said: “I’m delighted to welcome this outstanding group to lead the REF 2029 sub-panels. Their deep expertise and broad perspectives will be central to building an assessment process that is fair, rigorous, and trusted by the research community.”