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What the REF?!: Daily Summaries Delivered
by HiddenREF
Welcome What the REF - Our attempt at demystifying everyone's favourite national research assessment exercise! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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- 1 weeks ago46 min
What the REF: GONE ROGUE!
Simon's away, so James and Gemma are going rogue. This week: two autumn predictions land, a £1bn devolution push and a new research data policy. Then the British Academy's report on dual support, which quietly admits UK research is funded by a tripartite system. Could QR money ever be audited after allocation? Next, the Meta Science Unit's AI-driven evaluation plans: do we really need more indicators, and would you rather be assessed by a bot or your peers? In REF folklore, do panels judge NTOs by proxies? Plus, a trail for our mid-November live reaction to the REF guidance.Our hosts are all members of the Hidden REF committee based at the universities of Southampton and Bristol: Gemma Derrick - a self-confessed REF junkie, and James Baker. Our producer is Ben Thomas.Find out more about the HiddenREF campaign at Hidden-REF.org'What the REF' is made possible by the Embedding Trust in Evaluation (E-TIE) research grant from Research England.Want to get in touch? Email: WTreF@hidden-ref.orgWTreF is co-produced by Simon Hettrick, Gemma Derrick, James Baker and Ben Thomas. Video and Sound production by Ben Thomas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- 3 weeks ago38 min
What the REF is Michael reading?!
The REF 2029 guidance finally has a date... Sort of. James, Ola and Michael unpack what that means, then dig into UKRI’s reported plans to phase out QR funding for research culture and policy engagement, and Prof. Brian Cox’s argument that you can’t engineer growth by directing research. They explore CoARA’s guidance on recognising diverse research outputs, share lessons from non-traditional output workshops in Aberdeen and Loughborough, and bust some REF folklore about those mysterious 300-word statements. Plus: a book on Vatican II, a TV show about space policy, and a plea for clarity.Our hosts are all members of the Hidden REF committee based at the universities of Southampton and Bristol: James Baker, Ola Thomson and Michael Donnay. Our producer is Ben Thomas.Find out more about the HiddenREF campaign at Hidden-REF.org'What the REF' is made possible by the Embedding Trust in Evaluation (E-TIE) research grant from Research England.Want to get in touch? Email: WTreF@hidden-ref.orgWTreF is co-produced by Simon Hettrick, Gemma Derrick, James Baker and Ben Thomas. Video and Sound production by Ben Thomas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Sep 30, 202642 min
What the REF are we expecting this Autumn?!
REF rules are (probably) coming this autumn — but what else is heading the sector's way? James, Gemma and Simon (plus one uninvited chicken) map out the season ahead: the budget, UKRI funding fallout, open data policy, devolution, and the very real possibility a Russell Group university could collapse. They dig into the Hidden REF competition's record-breaking 222 entries, report back from an international research-evaluation conference in Antwerp, and tackle the sector's favourite rumour: is the REF finally getting cancelled? (Spoiler: probably not.) Sharp, funny, and essential listening for anyone navigating UK research policy.Our hosts are all members of the Hidden REF committee based at the universities of Southampton and Bristol: Gemma Derrick - a self-confessed REF junkie - James Baker, and Simon Hettrick. Our producer is Ben Thomas.Find out more about the HiddenREF campaign at Hidden-REF.org'What the REF' is made possible by the Embedding Trust in Evaluation (E-TIE) research grant from Research England.Want to get in touch? Email: WTreF@hidden-ref.orgWTreF is co-produced by Simon Hettrick, Gemma Derrick, James Baker and Ben Thomas. Video and Sound production by Ben Thomas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Aug 25, 202646 min
What the REF do you get out of submitting to the Hidden REF Competition?!
The Hidden REF competition is back! Bigger, busier and more diverse than ever. But why should you enter? In this episode, the What the REF team hears from three previous winners about what they gained from taking part. Jenni Adams explains how winning a Hidden Role award recognised work that often goes unseen. Jamie Davies reveals how a competition win helped his team secure funding for a vital global database. And Professor Lynne Bianchi shares how entering helped her team reflect on, evidence and articulate their impact. Plus: why submitting might be valuable even if you do not win. Ready to enter?Our hosts are all members of the Hidden REF committee based at the universities of Southampton and Bristol: Michael Donney, Lyndsey Ballantyne, and Ola Thomson, and our producer is Ben Thomas.Find out more about the HiddenREF campaign at Hidden-REF.org'What the REF' is made possible by the Embedding Trust in Evaluation (E-TIE) research grant from Research England.Want to get in touch? Email: WTreF@hidden-ref.orgWTreF is co-produced by Simon Hettrick, Gemma Derrick, James Baker and Ben Thomas. Video and Sound production by Ben Thomas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Jul 22, 20261h 7m
What the REF is it like to start the REF?!
How do you do your first REF when there is no instruction manual? In this episode of What the REF, we meet Arts University Plymouth as they prepare for their very first REF submission. Alexandra Murphy and Ian Hutchinson share the excitement, confusion and opportunities of building a REF culture from scratch at a specialist arts university. We explore practice-based research, "not-traditionally submitted outputs", creative portfolios and the relationship between art and research. Plus, we discuss the demise of Research Professional, REF and research integrity, and why REF 2029 might be a live experiment for the future of research assessment.Our hosts are all members of the Hidden REF committee based at the universities of Southampton and Bristol: Gemma Derrick - a self-confessed REF junkie - Ola Thomson and Simon Hettrick. Our producer is Ben Thomas.Find out more about the HiddenREF campaign at Hidden-REF.org'What the REF' is made possible by the Embedding Trust in Evaluation (E-TIE) research grant from Research England.Want to get in touch? Email: WTreF@hidden-ref.orgWTreF is co-produced by Simon Hettrick, Gemma Derrick, James Baker and Ben Thomas. Video and Sound production by Ben Thomas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Jun 24, 202635 min
What the REF did we learn at ARMA?!
Episode 23 of What the REF looks back at the recent ARMA Conference and the team’s take on various sessions there on the Research Excellence Framework. Gemma, Ola, and James discuss uncertainty around REF 2029, proposals to broaden what counts as research outputs, and gaps between policy language and what actually happens in institutions. They also dig into some of the bigger critiques of the REF — from Stefan Collini’s call to scrap it altogether, to counter-arguments that stress the need for accountability and a fair way of distributing research funding. Along the way, they share reflections from ARMA workshops, swap insights from creativity-focused university events, and dive into some REF folklore.Our hosts are all members of the Hidden REF committee based at the universities of Southampton and Bristol: Gemma Derrick – a self-confessed REF junkie – Ola Thomson, and James Baker.Our producer is Ben Thomas.Find out more about the HiddenREF campaign at Hidden-REF.org'What the REF' is made possible by the Embedding Trust in Evaluation (E-TIE) research grant from Research England.Want to get in touch? Email: WTreF@hidden-ref.orgWTreF is co-produced by Simon Hettrick, Gemma Derrick, James Baker and Ben Thomas. Video and Sound production by Ben Thomas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Jun 10, 202643 min
What the REF: In conversation with Steven Hill
Find out more about the HiddenREF campaign at Hidden-REF.org'What the REF' is made possible by the Embedding Trust in Evaluation (E-TIE) research grant from Research England.Want to get in touch? Email: WTreF@hidden-ref.orgWTreF is co-produced by Simon Hettrick, Gemma Derrick, James Baker and Ben Thomas. Video and Sound production by Ben Thomas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- May 26, 202620 min
What the REF?! It's the 2026 Hidden REF Competition!
In this special episode of What the REF, the team officially launches the 2026 Hidden REF Competition and explores how it has evolved from a one-off initiative into a wider movement for research culture change. New co-host Michael Donnelly joins Lyndsey and Simon to discuss why the competition exists, who it supports, and how it helps spotlight overlooked research roles and outputs. They unpack this year’s REF-aligned submission process, share success stories from past entrants, and reflect on the morale boost, recognition and institutional change the competition has already inspired across the sector.Our hosts are all members of the Hidden REF committee based at the universities of Southampton and Bristol: Simon Hettrick, Lyndsey Ballantyne and Michael Donnay, and our producer is Ben Thomas.Find out more about the HiddenREF campaign at Hidden-REF.org'What the REF' is made possible by the Embedding Trust in Evaluation (E-TIE) research grant from Research England.Want to get in touch? Email: WTreF@hidden-ref.orgWTreF is co-produced by Simon Hettrick, Gemma Derrick, James Baker and Ben Thomas. Video and Sound production by Ben Thomas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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About What the REF?!
Welcome What the REF - Our attempt at demystifying everyone's favourite national research assessment exercise! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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