REF 2021

The excellence of research at UCL and its positive real-world impact has improved since 2014, according to the Research Excellence Framework 2021 (REF) assessment results.

Key results

2nd in the UK for research power (after Oxford)

UCL came second in research power, consolidating its position at the top of the table between Oxford (1st) and Cambridge (3rd).

93% of research is 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent'

93 per cent of our research was graded 4* ‘world leading’ and 3* ‘internationally excellent’.

'grade point average' rises from 3.22 to 3.50 (out of 4)

Our research received a 'grade point average' of 3.50 (out of 4) – an improvement from 3.22 in 2014.

Submissions by 3,432 UCL academics

A total of 3,432 UCL academics submitted to this REF process.

Maintaining top position in the UK for research power in ‘medicine, health and life sciences’ and in ‘social sciences’

UCL maintained our position as top in the UK for research power in the main panels of ‘medicine, health and life sciences’ and ‘social sciences’.

Gaining top position in the UK for research power in Laws, Philosophy, and Area Studies (Institute of the Americas)

We also saw success in our submissions to Laws, Philosophy, and Area Studies (Institute of the Americas) with all three coming top overall by research graded 4*.

Increased quality of research for 74% of 32 units submitted

We saw improvements in our scores within each of the four main panels. Of the 32 subject units assessed across the three elements of ‘output’, ‘impact’ and ‘environment’, 78 per cent increased their score compared to REF 2014 by grade point average - the measure of the overall average quality of research.

Environment statements

UCL’s REF environment statements highlight the contributions of our staff and their facilities to produce world leading research and enable outstanding impact.

The individual UOA statements detailing our most outstanding achievements within the REF period, along with our future strategies for providing and maintaining a transformative and world-renowned research environment, will be made available on the REF website in June 2022.

Read UCL's institutional statement here (PDF).

For more information, contact uclref@ucl.ac.uk.

Submissions

UCL submitted evidence of a breadth of research activities including 8,052 research outputs such as journal articles, books, designs, exhibitions and performances.

We also shared 194 impact case studies showcasing diverse impact across every faculty to combat the most pressing global challenges of our time, and we provided evidence of the environment that enables us to deliver impact.

Key data from UCL's REF 2021 submission

UCL submitted 3181.84 FTE (3432 staff)

= 24% increase in FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) since REF 2014
386 of the submitted staff were ECRs
Main Panel* breakdown:
Panel A – 1192.08 / Panel B – 668.88 / Panel C – 993.07 / Panel D – 327.81

8052 outputs submitted

304 of these were double-weighted
Output type breakdown:
6976 journal articles / 365 monographs / 303 chapters / 145 conference contributions / 92 edited books / 37 research reports for external bodies / 36 exhibitions / 30 working papers / 29 designs / 11 scholarly editions / 6 websites / 6 multicomponent outputs / 5 artefacts / 5 research data sets/databases / 3 translations / 2 software outputs / 1 performance

194 Impact Case Studies submitted

Main Panel* breakdown:
Panel A – 55 / Panel B – 45 / Panel C – 60 / Panel D – 34

£3,236,633,992 reported in research income

= 130% increase since REF2014

*Main Panels - Panel A: Medicine, health and life sciences / Panel B: Physical sciences, engineering and mathematics / Panel C: Social sciences / Panel D: Arts and humanities