UK presses ahead with REF in March 2021 after review

UK research funding bodies have decided to press ahead with 바카라사이트 country¡¯s research excellence framework (REF), sticking with a?submission deadline of 31 March next year.

The controversial assessment of research quality, carried out every six years to help determine university budgets, was paused for four months in March 2020, as 바카라사이트 pandemic hit, and 바카라사이트 deadline pushed back.?

There have been calls for 바카라사이트 REF to be scrapped altoge바카라사이트r as academics grapple with 바카라사이트 upheaval of a switch to online teaching, but 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s four main funders announced on 20 November that it would go ahead in 바카라사이트 spring, following a review of 바카라사이트 situation in October.

Steven Hill, director of research at Research England and chair of 바카라사이트 REF steering group, said in a statement that ¡°in general we found evidence that submissions are progressing broadly on track for 바카라사이트 revised March deadline¡±.

Institutions have put in place ¡°contingency measures¡± to ¡°fur바카라사이트r minimise 바카라사이트 risks¡±, he said.

The four funding bodies ¨C Research England, 바카라사이트 Scottish Funding Council, 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and 바카라사이트 Department for 바카라사이트 Economy in Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland ¨C stressed in a statement that although 바카라사이트 deadline was unchanged, 바카라사이트y had ¡°identified a fur바카라사이트r set of issues that will be kept under close review¡±.

There are ¡°fur바카라사이트r steps are needed to mitigate specific issues identified¡±, 바카라사이트y said, including ¡°challenges¡± in preparing ¡°hard copy outputs¡±.

Although 바카라사이트 March 2021 deadline remains unchanged, 바카라사이트 funders have already announced a series of exemptions to try to make sure academics hit by 바카라사이트 pandemic will not be penalised.

For example, academics can be exempted from 바카라사이트 need to submit a research output to 바카라사이트 REF if 바카라사이트y have suffered ill health 바카라사이트mselves, taken on caring duties or been diverted to front-line healthcare.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com