Evolution of Research Assessment in the UK

6th March 2017.  
Steven Hill, Higher Education Funding Council for England

Abstract
Periodic national research assessments of universities have been a feature of the United Kingdom's research policy landscape for more than 3 decades. In this talk I will chart the development and evolution of the approaches to research assessment, focusing on debates about the role of peer review and metrics, and examining the introduction of societal impact assessment in the most recent exercise, the Research Excellence Framework 2014 (REF2014). Finally, I will outline the plans for the next exercise, REF2021, and the current areas of debate and discussion.

Biography
Steven Hill is Head of Research Policy at the Higher Education Funding Council for England. At HEFCE Steven is responsible for research funding and assessment, open research, public engagement and impact. He is the chair of the steering group for the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, that is currently under development. Prior to joining HEFCE Steven was Head of the Strategy Unit at Research Councils UK, and had several roles in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, working on evidence-based policy making. Earlier in his career Steven was a university lecturer at the University of Oxford where his research focused on plant biology.

All College students are warmly encouraged to participate. The poster of the seminar can be downloaded here.

Image: A portrait of English natural scientist C Darwin.

 

 

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