REF 2029 Timeline

This timetable represents the current institutional plan for preparing our submission to REF 2029. It is approved by REF Strategy Group.

Following the initial decisions on REF in 2023, the University established REF 2029 Strategy Group to provide oversight of the REF 2029 submission. Part of the work of REF Strategy Group will be to provide advice on the REF 2029 submission timetable, and to steer the University REF strategy.

The institutional REF2029 timetable will drive the REF preparations of colleagues across the university and the business of Strategy Group. It should be noted that the REF 2029 rules and external timetable are subject to change. Therefore, the institutional timetable will be updated continually as work progresses and when there are changes to the timetable set by Research England.

2025

REF checks:

Institutional tasks:

PCE pilot submission (March)
Draft REF2029 Code of Practice - staff section (March)
Draft REF2029 Code of Practice - outputs section (autumn)
Central REF budget

Unit tasks:

Reviewing outputs
Shortlisting impact case studies
Reviewing independence queries

Guidance from Research England:

Volume measure policy module (January)
Contribution to Knowledge and Understanding (CKU) policy module (June)
Codes of Practice guidance (June)
Engagement and Impact (E&I) policy module (December)
People, Culture and Environment (PCE) criteria and definitions (December)

Meetings:

REF Strategy Group 6 March
REF Operations Group 13 March
REF Forum 18 March
REF Operations Group 12 May
REF Forum 28 May
REF Strategy Group 18 June
REF Operations Group 10 September
REF Strategy Group 30 September
REF Forum 8 October
REF Forum 6 November
REF Operations Group 24 November
REF Strategy Group 15 December

2026

REF check (summer):

Outputs check (longlist with scores)
PCE check (draft narratives + data)
Impact check (full drafts)
Volume measure sign-off

Meetings:

REF Forum 10 February @2:30 – 4:30pm
REF Strategy Group 9 March @10am – 12pm
REF Forum 29 April @10:30am – 12:30pm
REF Strategy Group 23 June @2pm – 4pm
REF Strategy Group 22 September @1:30 – 3:30pm
REF Forum 15 October @2:30 – 4:30pm
REF Strategy Group 15 December @1 – 3pm

Guidance from Research England:

Final full guidance on submissions and panel criteria (date TBC)

2027

REF check (summer):

Output selection
Full PCE draft
Full ICS drafts
Volume measure sign-off

Meetings:

REF Strategy Group 22 March
REF Forum (April)
REF Strategy Group 28 June
REF Strategy Group 21 September
REF Forum (October)
REF Strategy Group 14 December

Research England:

Survey of submission intentions (date TBC)

2028

REF check (June):

Output selection
Full PCE draft
Full ICS drafts
Volume measure sign-off

Meetings:

REF Strategy Group 21 March
REF Forum (April)
REF Strategy Group 26 June
REF Strategy Group 19 September
REF Forum (October)
REF Strategy Group 11 December

Final internal REF submission in October.

Final submission date to Research England to be confirmed.

2029

Volume measure sign-off (July)
Audit
REF results (end of year)