Research Excellence Framework 2014: code of practice on selection of staff and new REF team

The outcomes of REF 2014 will be crucially important to UCL in providing funding to maintain its internationally excellent research activity.

Submissions to REF are to be made by a deadline in late November 2013; the assessment phase takes place during 2014.

The staff selection process for REF 2014 is governed by a code of practice. One of the key requirements of REF is that each institution making submissions should have in place a code of practice which forms part of the wider commitment to equality and diversity that REF 2014 seeks to promote, including the treatment of individual circumstances affecting research.

UCL has developed and approved its code through a number of senior committees and it was submitted to the UK higher education funding bodies' REF Team on 25 July 2012. The final version, approved by the Vice-Provost (Research), David Price - on behalf of the Provost - has been published at www.ucl.ac.uk/ref2014/UCL_code_of_practice.

Academic and research staff meeting the eligibility criteria for REF 2014 have recently been asked to complete the nomination of research outputs for the exercise. Selection decisions will be reached by the early part of 2013.

REF Team commenced duties

To support the development of UCL's REF submissions, a new team of staff have recently taken up their posts and have begun engaging with UoA leads in this process.

Three Editorial Consultants are assisting UoA leads with the development of material for the impact element and three School Coordinators hold overall responsibility for central coordination of submissions from their respective Schools.

The team is made up as follows:

• SLASH: Adam Cresswell (School Coordinator) and Fatima Raja (Editorial Consultant)

• BEAMS: Hema Tank (School Coordinator) and Anton Viesel (Editorial Consultant)

• SLMS: Mariana Trejo (School Coordinator) and Charlotte Holloway (Editorial Consultant)

• the Editorial Consultant team is managed by Rachel Middlemass, Senior Editor.

Further information on the team is available from: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ref2014/contact-us

For further general information on REF visit the HEFCE REF site and the UCL REF site.

Andrew Cooper, REF Manager, Registry and Academic Services

uclref@ucl.ac.uk