R&IS News
New REF 2029 policy on Contributions to Knowledge and Understanding released with full Code of Practice guidance
Research England has published detailed guidance for the Contributions to Knowledge and Understanding assessment element for REF 2029, outlining important developments in how research outputs will be assessed and reflecting the framework’s evolution towards assessing the research and environment of institutions rather than individuals. They have also published the full Code of Practice guidance, updated and expanded from January 2025, which supports institutions in implementing approaches to REF.
Some key points:
- Outputs are no longer linked to individual staff members.
- Institutions must demonstrate that an 'employer eligible relationship' occurred at the time of, or before, the research output was made publicly available
- Submissions must be representative of unit activity, supported by structured evidence statements.