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v2026.1714 entries · CC-BY 4.0
CASRAI
Dictionary termTrack EStablev2026.2

REF 2029

The next planned cycle of the UK Research Excellence Framework, currently scheduled with a submission deadline in 2028 and results in 2029, with substantial design changes following the Future Research Assessment Programme.

ByCASRAI Editorial Board
· Last updated 21 May 2026

Examples

Worked examples

  • Is an instance

    An institution restructures its internal pre-submission review around the new 'People, Culture and Environment' element.

  • Is an instance

    Departments pilot team-based output narratives in anticipation of REF 2029 guidance.

Counter-examples

Looks similar, but isn't

  • Not an instance

    Assuming output-staff coupling identical to REF 2021 in REF 2029 strategy planning.

  • Not an instance

    Designing internal mock REF exercises with weightings drawn from REF 2014.

Editorial commentary

REF 2029 emerges from the Future Research Assessment Programme (FRAP, 2021-2023). Key changes from REF 2021 include renaming the three elements 'Contribution to Knowledge and Understanding' (50%), 'Engagement and Impact' (25%) and 'People, Culture and Environment' (25%); decoupling outputs from individual researchers in a way that explicitly de-emphasises the link between staff and outputs; and broader recognition of research contributions including team science and a wider range of output types. Detailed guidance is being phased in through 2024-2026.

References

  • ref.ac.uk/2029. Research England Decisions on REF 2029 (2023). UKRI policy positions on responsible research assessment.

Also known as

REF2029

Machine-readable encodings

Use in your systems

JATS XML <role> element
xml
<role vocab="credit"
      vocab-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/"
      vocab-term="REF 2029"
      vocab-term-identifier="https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/ref-2029" />
Schema.org DefinedTerm (JSON-LD)
json
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  "inDefinedTermSet": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/domain/responsible-research-assessment/",
  "url": "https://casrai.org/dictionary/term/ref-2029",
  "sameAs": [
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  ],
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}
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