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What is REF?

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. It takes place every seven years and the most recent exercise was conducted in 2021.

REF 2021 was undertaken by the UK higher education funding bodies: Research England, the Scottish Funding Council, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, and the Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland.

What is the purpose of REF?

The funding bodies’ shared policy aim for research assessment is to secure the continuation of a world-class, dynamic and responsive research base across the full academic spectrum within UK higher education. The purpose of the REF is:

  • to provide accountability for public investment in research and produce evidence of the benefits of this investment
  • to provide benchmarking information and establish reputational yardsticks, for use within the Higher Education sector and for public information
  • to inform the selective allocation of funding for research.

REF will assess the quality of outputs (e.g. publications), their impact beyond academia, and the environment that supports research.

REF has published all key documents to guide the REF submission available at www.ref.ac.uk/.

The REF replaces the previous Research Assessment Exercise.

REF 2021

St George's research excellence score for REF 2021:

  • joint 8th in the country for research impact out of 129 institutions, according to scores calculated by Times Higher Education 
  • 36% of St George’s research assessed as “world-leading” (4*) – an increase compared to the REF 2014 score of 30%.
  • 100% of St George’s impact cases were judged as world-leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*).

Find out more about REF 2021.

Impact case studies for REF 2021

Building the international recommendations for identifying heart conditions in athletes

A team led by Professor Sanjay Sharma from the Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute has paved the way for screening athletes for heart conditions, developing international recommendations in the process.

Detecting multiple strains of deadly bacteria to guide vaccine strategies

Dr Jason Hinds and team from the Institute for Infection and Immunity have channelled their research efforts into developing a genomics-based tool that can detect different strains, or serotypes, of the pneumococcus.

Early introduction of allergenic foods and the prevention of food allergy in infancy

A team of researchers co-led by Dr Michael Perkin, Reader in Clinical Epidemiology, of St George’s, University of London conducted the largest completed and published trial of early allergenic food introduction at the time of publication.

Explaining unexplained deaths in the young

The academic cardiology unit St George’s has been an internationally recognised centre of excellence for research into the sudden death of young people for more than 20 years.

Fighting cryptococcal meningitis on many fronts

Professor Tom Harrison of the Institute for Infection and Immunity has been at the forefront of research into cryptococcal meningitis for the past 20 years, finding the most effective combinations of drugs as well as improving access to treatment and developing diagnostics.

Leading the global effort against antimicrobial resistance

The World Health Organization has declared that Antimicrobial Resistance is one of the top 10 global public health threats. The work of Professor Michael Sharland and his research group at St George’s has had a major national and global impact on antibiotic prescribing.

Preventing infant deaths from infection

Over the last 20 years, our researchers, including Professor Kirsty Le Doare and Professor Paul Heath from the Centre for Neonatal and Paediatric Infection & Vaccine Institute (Institute for Infection and Immunity), have focused on understanding these conditions and preventing infant deaths.

Revolutionising malaria treatment

A research team at St George’s, led by Professor Sanjeev Krishna, has set out to revolutionise the way malaria is treated, reducing both the number of deaths and cost of treatment.

REF 2014

St George’s was assessed in the areas of Clinical Medicine and Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care. St George’s research excellence score for REF 2014:

  • St George’s ranked 4th in the UK for impact for REF 2014
  • St George’s ranked joint 42nd in the UK, which was a rise of 24 places from the Research Assessment Exercise 2008
  • at St George’s the percentage of research rated as internationally excellent or world leading rose to 70 per cent (from 44 per cent in RAE 2008)
  • almost 30 per cent of our research was ranked at the top (internationally leading at 4*), compared to 5.4 per cent in RAE 2008.

Impact case studies for REF 2014

The Effects of Second Hand Smoke on Children

Parental smoking was linked with poor respiratory health in children by St George's-led investigations in the 1990s.

Reducing Salt Intake to Decrease Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

Our studies have influenced UK government and World Health Organisation recommendations for salt intake.

Improving Clostridium Difficile Diagnosis

In 2009, St George's researchers developed new diagnostic testing procedures for Clostridium difficile (C diff).

Dual Targeting Antimicrobials and the Circumvention of Resistance

Since the 1990s, a group of researchers based at St George's has made a number of seminal contributions in the development of dual targeting antibiotics and the circumvention of antibiotic resistance.

Developing Thalidomide Analogues for Cancer Treatment

Working with a small start-up company, Professor Angus Dalgleish developed several thalidomide analogues, including lenalinomide and pomalidomide.

Optimising the Prevention and Management of HIV Associated Cryptococcal Meningitis

Researchers from St George's have evaluated and optimised anti-fungal therapy for cryptococcal meningitis, the commonest cause of adult meningitis in sub-Saharan Africa.

 

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