Message from Deputy Vice-Chancellor: REF results confirm our research strength

Wednesday, 17 December 2014

Steve Mithen, Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Dear colleagues,

Today, the results for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) have been released for all UK universities. The REF is an assessment of research quality and influences the reputation of individual subject areas and the University as a whole, and affects the research funding we might receive in the future.

I am delighted to say that as an institution, 98% of our research has been rated as internationally recognised (4*, 3* or 2* in REF terms); 78% internationally excellent (4* or 3*), and 27% world leading (4*).

The REF places the University of Reading 19th in the UK by research intensity (a measure of quality adjusted by the proportion of researchers submitted), and 27th in the UK by research power (out of 154 submitted institutions). Research power recognises both the quality and quantity of research submitted into the exercise.

The REF results confirm that we have world-leading strengths across a very wide range of disciplines. They illustrate particular power in certain areas of known strength, including agriculture, food, environment, business and management, the built environment (including construction management and real estate), and typography.

Heads of School have tailored results packs which they are using to talk locally to their colleagues. These packs are also available to everyone internally on the Planning and Strategy Office website.

The full implications of, and lessons from, today's results will only emerge as the result of detailed analysis and discussion over the coming weeks and months. Today, my main message is a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved in the REF process over the last few years for all your hard work and the support you have provided to one another.

We are a research-led institution and we should all be proud of the depth and breadth of our outstanding research offering, which has an impact on policy, practice and everyday life in the UK and internationally.

In our University Strategy to 2026, we have very clear ambitions for our research. It is oriented around securing and sustaining societies. This means tackling complex global challenges and offering solutions under the themes of food, environment, health, prosperity and resilience, and creativity, heritage and values. We want to influence global policies and practice by connecting with the rest of the world and to distinguish ourselves from the crowd through the impact of our work. Today's results give us extremely useful guidance about strengths to build on and areas we can improve.

The Research Strategy to 2020 is a major strand of the University Strategy and over the next few months the insight we have gained from the REF will naturally feed into it. This will help us to enhance our reputation as a research institution recognised throughout the world for its contribution to society.

Thank you again, and I wish you a happy and restful Christmas break.

Professor Steve Mithen

Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research)

University of Reading REF results – summary:

http://www.reading.ac.uk/research/REF-2014/REF-2014.aspx

REF FAQs:

http://www.reading.ac.uk/research/REF-2014/REF-faqs.aspx

Detailed data packs by Unit of Assessment (internal web pages only):

https://www.reading.ac.uk/closed/planning2/plan-1UD-REF-Results.aspx