Skip to content Accessibility statement
Staff home
HomeStaff homeResearchResearch Excellence Framework (REF)REF 2029REF 2029 Timeline

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: 

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 of nominated/scored outputs)

  • SPRE check (bullet points of what might go in the unit level statement)

  • Impact check (full narrative drafts, no evidence submitted)

  • Volume measure 25/26 sign-off

 

Meetings:

  • REF Forum 10 February @2:30 – 4:30pm
  • REF Strategy Group 23 March @10:30am – 12:30pm
  • 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 + panel criteria and working methods (11 November)
2027

SPRE ILS Draft (Feb):

  • Full narrative draft of the SPRE ILS that aligns with the REF2029 guidance
  • Circulated to ADRs early Feb
  • Circulated to REF and SPRE Leads late Feb

 

SPRE ULS Check (April):

  • Narrative drafts that align with the REF2029 guidance and the draft ILS

 

Outputs and Impact check (June):

  • Output selection with predicted scores for the number of outputs needed for submission

  • Full ICS narrative drafts with evidence submitted for all impact claims 

  • Volume measure 26/27 sign-off

 

SPRE ILS Draft (Aug):

  • Draft narrative with evidence for claims

 

SPRE ULS Check (Oct):

  • Draft narrative with evidence for claims

 

Meetings:

  • REF Forum (February)
  • 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

SPRE ILS (Feb):

  • Polished draft with evidence

SPRE ULS (April):

  • Polished draft with evidence

Outputs and Impact (July):

  • Final output selection with predicted scores and required metadata
  • Submission of potential hard copies of outputs to the PIP team
  • Final ICS drafts and evidence
  • Volume measure sign-off

SPRE ILS/ULS (August):

  • Final drafts

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

 

The final internal REF submission will take place 3 months before the final submission date to Research England. This date is to be confirmed but is expected to be October 2028.

2029
  • Volume measure sign-off (July)
  • Audit
  • REF results (end of year)