 |
 |
This seems to have come to me because I've somehow become stuck on the REF mailing list from 10 or more years ago. Perhaps the current BAILER officers, if there are any, would like to organise a response. From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: 06 September 2017 11:19 Subject: The Research Excellence Framework 2021 Dear colleague, The Research Excellence Framework 2021 I am writing to you regarding the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, and your organisation's potential future involvement in this exercise. The REF is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions, with the most recent exercise concluding in 2014. The key purposes of the REF are to inform the selective allocation of funding for research; provide accountability for public investment in research and produce evidence of the benefits of this investment; and, provide benchmarking information and establish reputational yardsticks, for use within the higher education sector and for public information. The REF will be undertaken through a process of peer review by expert panels, involving over 1000 senior UK academics, users of research from organisations beyond higher education and international advisers. Membership of the panels is widely seen as a mark of esteem, in what is regarded as a world leading assessment system. Panel nominations Members of the expert panels will be appointed through a nominations process. Any association or organisation with a clear interest in the conduct, quality, funding or wider benefits of publicly-funded research can nominate individuals for panel membership. Mission groups, individual UK HEIs and groups within or subsidiaries of individual UK HEIs may not make nominations. Where making nominations, nominating bodies will be required to submit information about how equality and diversity issues were taken into account in nominating candidates for panel membership. REF 2021 will include a specific element to assess the wider impact of research, following the successful introduction of this element in REF 2014. We therefore wish to appoint a range of research users, from the private, public and third sectors to the expert panels, and are seeking to identify a broad range of organisations who may be interested in nominating candidates for these roles. As in the previous exercise, these members will play a crucial role in assessing the impact of research, alongside academics on the expert panels. We will provide full details on the roles of the panel members and the process for making nominations in the autumn. Future involvement We are currently in the process of reviewing the organisations on our list of nominating bodies, ahead of inviting nominations in the autumn. We have included your organisation on a draft list of nominating bodies. This is either because your organisation has been invited to make nominations in a previous assessment exercise or it was identified by one of our key stakeholders through an initial request for suggestions. I am writing to ask you: * Whether you are content for your organisation to be included on the list of nominating bodies. * If you could provide us with a specific contact name in your organisation (please provide their name and position); and if necessary update the postal and email addresses or other contact details we may require for future correspondence. * If you could suggest any additional organisations that should be added to the list of nominating bodies. Such bodies must have a particular interest in research and may themselves undertake, utilise, be influenced by or fund research. If you suggest additional bodies, please provide names and addresses and indicate how they are qualified to make nominations. The REF 2014 list is available to view at http://www.ref.ac.uk/panels/panelmembership/, under the nominating bodies heading. Please could you respond by emailing [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> by Friday 22nd September 2017. If we do not hear from you by this date, we will assume you are content for your organisation to remain on the list of nominating bodies and that your details are correct. This information has also been sent by hard copy letter to postal addresses the week commencing 4th September. Further information Further information about the REF can be found on our website at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/rsrch/ref2021/. If you have any queries please email [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>. I hope you find this letter of interest and that your organisation will wish to be involved. Yours sincerely, [cid:image003.png@01D32700.4B27F730] Dr Kim Hackett REF Manager ________________________________ This email has been scanned for spam and viruses by Proofpoint Essentials. Click here<https://eu1.proofpointessentials.com/index01.php?mod_id=11&mod_option=logitem&mail_id=1504693189-vnEeUQ5e%2BHX3&r_address=i.m.johnson%40rgu.ac.uk&report=1> to report this email as spam. Robert Gordon University is the top university for graduate jobs in the UK (HESA 2013 & 2014) Please consider the environment before printing this email Please consider the environment before printing this email Robert Gordon University is the top university for graduate jobs in the UK (HESA 2013 & 2014) Robert Gordon University, a Scottish charity registered under charity number SC 013781. This e-mail and any attachment is for authorised use by the intended recipient(s) only. It may contain proprietary material, confidential information and/or be subject to legal privilege. It should not be copied, disclosed to, retained or used by, any other party. If you are not an intended recipient then please promptly delete this e-mail and any attachment and all copies and inform the sender. Please note that any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Robert Gordon University. Thank you.