The REF 2029 pause ended on 10 December 2025. The UK’s four higher education funding bodies confirmed the criteria-setting phase — halted for three months after a September 2025 ministerial announcement — has resumed, with updated guidance published and expert panels set to begin meeting in early 2026 to finalise assessment criteria. The overall submission deadline of autumn 2028 is unchanged.
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the UK’s system for assessing the quality, impact and environment of research produced by higher education institutions, with outcomes used to allocate roughly £2 billion in annual research funding across the four nations. REF 2029 is the fourth full exercise, following REF 2014 and REF 2021, and results are due in December 2029.
- What was the REF 2029 pause and why did it happen?
- What changed when REF 2029 resumed in December 2025?
- What did UKRI and Research England confirm about the 2026 restart?
- What does this mean for institutional planning timelines?
- Frequently asked questions
What was the REF 2029 pause and why did it happen?
On 4 September 2025, UK Science Minister Lord Vallance announced a pause to REF 2029 criteria setting at the Universities UK annual conference. The same day, the four UK higher education funding bodies — Research England, the Scottish Funding Council, Medr (Wales’ Commission for Tertiary Education and Research), and the Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland — jointly confirmed the pause in a statement describing it as an opportunity to “take stock, ensure alignment with government priorities and vision for higher education, and reflect on feedback from the sector.”
The funding bodies were explicit that the overall REF timetable would not be delayed, even though the pause affected specific milestones: publication of final guidance modules and the REF 2029 Code of Practice approval process were both pushed back, with institutional REF contacts notified about revised Code of Practice submission windows. Panel members for the criteria-setting phase were appointed on the same day the pause was announced, so that work could resume quickly once the framework was finalised. The funding bodies committed to announcing the outcome by December 2025 — a commitment they met.
What changed when REF 2029 resumed in December 2025?
On 10 December 2025, REF 2029 published a package of updates confirming the pause had lifted and criteria setting had resumed. The most substantive change was to the assessment element formerly called People, Culture and Environment (PCE), which has been renamed Strategy, People and Research Environment (SPRE). SPRE builds on the REF 2021 Environment component and draws directly on findings from the People, Culture and Environment Pilot, whose final report was published the same day.
The funding bodies also refined the weightings across all three assessment elements. In line with feedback from the sector and the pilot’s results, the final split is:
| Assessment element | REF 2029 weighting (confirmed 10 Dec 2025) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Contributions to Knowledge and Understanding (CKU) | 55% | Simplified and clarified; unit-level statements removed |
| Engagement and Impact (E&I) | 25% | Broadly retained from REF 2021; unit-level statements removed |
| Strategy, People and Research Environment (SPRE) | 20% | Replaces PCE; builds on REF 2021 Environment component |
Other confirmed simplifications reduce reporting burden without reopening the core Initial Decisions on REF 2029 published in 2023. The recommended maximum of five outputs per researcher is reinstated for clarity, but the minimum of one has been removed to avoid pressure on individual researchers. Outputs remain decoupled from individuals under the substantive link policy, with simplified requirements and limited portability introduced for long-form and extended-process research outputs. Impact case study requirements are reduced to one for the smallest submitting units, and the 2* qualifying threshold for underpinning research has been removed.
- Unit-level statements removed from both CKU and Engagement and Impact
- Maximum of five outputs per researcher reinstated; minimum of one removed
- Impact case study minimum reduced to one for the smallest units
- Limited portability for long-form and extended-process outputs, alongside continued decoupling under the substantive link policy
- Small-unit exemption process retained from REF 2021, with expanded eligibility
What did UKRI and Research England confirm about the 2026 restart?
Research England, acting on behalf of all four funding bodies, confirmed that REF panels will begin meeting in early 2026 to set detailed criteria and finalise the Panel Criteria and Working Methods documents. An Institutional-Level Working Group dedicated to the new SPRE element will also be established as part of this restart.
Notably, the funding bodies confirmed there will be no formal consultation on the resulting guidance or on the Panel Criteria and Working Methods, a deliberate choice made “to maintain the original timetable.” This is a material procedural difference from REF 2021, where panel criteria went through public consultation before finalisation — institutions should not expect a further comment period before criteria are locked in during 2026. The REF team and funding bodies have said they will continue engaging with the sector through other channels as the panels do this work.
REF 2029 Director Rebecca Fairbairn described the exercise as “a framework built with and for the sector,” while Universities UK chief executive Vivienne Stern said the sector “strongly welcome[s] this pragmatic approach,” calling it evidence that “the four UK funding bodies have listened carefully to researchers and universities.”
What does this mean for institutional planning timelines?
For research offices, the practical headline is that the submission deadline has not moved: REF 2029 submissions remain due in autumn 2028, with results published in December 2029. What has moved is the sequencing of guidance institutions need in order to plan.
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| REF 2029 (originally REF 2028) confirmed and renamed | December 2023 (Initial Decisions) |
| Pause to criteria setting and final guidance announced | 4-5 September 2025 |
| Updated guidance published; pause lifted; criteria setting resumes | 10 December 2025 |
| REF panels begin meeting to set criteria and finalise guidance | Early 2026 |
| Institutional submission deadline | Autumn 2028 |
| Results published | December 2029 |
Because there will be no formal consultation on the criteria panels finalise from early 2026, institutional REF strategy groups have a narrower window than in previous cycles to influence detail before it is locked in. Research offices should treat the December 2025 guidance updates — CKU, Engagement and Impact, SPRE, and Code of Practice sections — as the operative baseline for internal planning now, rather than waiting for a further consultation round that will not occur.
The revised Code of Practice approval process and submission windows, delayed during the pause, are now confirmed and should be diarised alongside internal REF strategy group timetables. Institutions holding PCE pilot evidence should map it against the new SPRE guidance rather than starting from scratch, since SPRE is built directly on the REF 2021 Environment component and the pilot findings.
Frequently asked questions
What period does REF 2029 cover?
REF 2029 assesses research activity, outputs, impact and environment across a defined assessment period running up to the autumn 2028 submission deadline, with results published in December 2029. Exact census and output period dates are set out in the REF 2029 timetable, updated alongside the December 2025 guidance following the pause.
What are the key changes for REF 2029?
The confirmed changes include renaming People, Culture and Environment to Strategy, People and Research Environment (SPRE), revised weightings of 55% CKU, 25% Engagement and Impact and 20% SPRE, removal of unit-level statements, a reinstated five-output maximum, and reduced impact case study minimums for smaller units.
Is it REF 2028 or REF 2029?
The exercise was originally planned as REF 2028. Following consultation, the funding bodies confirmed in December 2023 that the timeline would extend, renaming it REF 2029, with submissions in autumn 2028 and results published in December 2029.
What is the REF 2029 strategy element?
Strategy, People and Research Environment (SPRE) is the REF 2029 element, weighted at 20%, that assesses institutional research strategy, support for people, and the wider research environment. It builds on the REF 2021 Environment component and incorporates findings from the People, Culture and Environment Pilot.
The restart confirms that REF 2029 remains on its original autumn 2028 submission timeline despite the 2025 pause, but with a compressed, consultation-free path from panel criteria-setting in early 2026 through to finalised guidance. Institutions that treat the December 2025 updates as settled — rather than provisional — will be best placed to align internal REF strategy group planning, Code of Practice submissions, and SPRE evidence-gathering with the funding bodies’ revised sequence.