The four UK higher education funding bodies paused REF 2029 criteria-setting and the publication of final guidance on 4 September 2025, then lifted the pause on 10 December 2025 with a set of confirmed decisions on weighting, output requirements, and impact case studies. For institutions building REF 2029 submission planning around the guidance published so far, the resumption is the point at which several previously provisional figures became settled enough to plan against — though the funding bodies have also said guidance may still be subject to small revisions as panels begin work in 2026.
What was paused, and why
UK Science Minister Lord Vallance announced the pause at the Universities UK conference on 4 September 2025. The stated purpose was to allow the four funding bodies (Research England, the Scottish Funding Council, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, and the Department for the Economy Northern Ireland) to take stock, check alignment with government priorities for higher education, and reflect on sector feedback before finalising criteria. The pause covered REF 2029 criteria setting, publication of the remaining guidance modules, and the Code of Practice approval process. The funding bodies were explicit that the overall REF timetable itself — including the eventual submission date — was not being delayed, only certain guidance milestones within it.
What changed when the pause lifted
On 10 December 2025, REF 2029 published a set of confirmed decisions covering the areas that had been under review:
- Element weightings confirmed: Contributions to Knowledge and Understanding (CKU) at 55%, Engagement and Impact (E&I) at 25%, and Strategy, People and Research Environment (SPRE) at 20%, replacing the REF 2021 Outputs/Impact/Environment split.
- Output counts: the recommended maximum of five outputs per researcher was reinstated for clarity, but the minimum of one output was removed, intended to reduce pressure on individual researchers with legitimate reasons for fewer outputs.
- Impact case study requirements: reduced to a minimum of one case study for the smallest units of assessment, and the 2* qualifying threshold for underpinning research was removed.
- No formal consultation: to hold the original overall timetable, the funding bodies confirmed there would be no further formal consultation on the guidance or on Panel Criteria and Working Methods before panels begin meeting.
- Next step: REF 2029 panels were confirmed to begin meeting in early 2026 to set detailed criteria within this now-confirmed framework.
The decoupling of outputs from named staff (the “substantive link” eligibility test) and the confirmed output eligibility date range were not themselves part of the paused decisions — both had already been set out in earlier guidance and are covered in CASRAI’s dedicated guides on those topics, linked below.
Sector reaction
Universities UK and sector representative bodies including GuildHE and UCET issued public responses to the December update, and specialist outlets covering UK research policy carried sector commentary on the resumption. The general shape of the reaction has been relief that a settled framework is now in place close to the original timetable, alongside continued scrutiny of how quickly panels can now translate the confirmed weightings and requirements into the detailed criteria and working methods institutions need for submission planning.
What this means for REF 2029 preparation
For research offices already building REF 2029 preparation timelines, the practical effect of the resumption is that the headline planning numbers — the CKU/E&I/SPRE weightings, the output ceiling, and the reduced impact case study floor for small units — can now be treated as confirmed rather than provisional, subject to the funding bodies’ own caveat that detailed panel-level guidance may still see small revisions through 2026. Institutions should continue to track updates directly from REF 2029’s own guidance site, since detailed submission-process guidance for several elements, including verification of substantive-link evidence for output portability, was still being finalised as panels began their work.
CASRAI’s companion guides cover the two most operationally significant REF 2029 changes in depth: the output portability and decoupling rules (the substantive-link eligibility test that replaced REF 2021-era portability), and the output eligibility period (what counts as an eligible publication window). See also the REF 2029 dictionary entry for a running reference on the exercise’s structure.
