My week - 9 September 2013 - Professor David Hogg
Professor David Hogg, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, discusses final preparations for the REF2014 submission.
We really are now into the final stretch for the Research Excellence Framework 2014 and – with a deadline of 29 November – there’s not a lot of time left to make sure we have the best possible submission.
There is still plenty of work to do on the ‘nuts and bolts’ of the final submission, and people are busy collecting outputs and auditing corroborative evidence. I’d urge all those colleagues who have the opportunity, to get involved with the submission and see if there is room for further improvement. The submissions require so much detail, that it’s easy to overlook extra information that could be included or inadvertently miss something out, so please offer your help to relevant colleagues – ask if they want you to take a look, offer advice or make suggestions – I’m sure it will be greatly appreciated.
For colleagues who have been involved in a case study – and that includes me – it’s always worth remaining vigilant and checking to see if there’s any additional impact that can be added. Think about how research has progressed or been used, especially as a result of work with external organisations or individuals. Go back and talk to them to see if there’s any more information that’s come to light in recent months – for example, an additional form of impact or update in quantitative information – which could be added to the submission. Of course, impact will continue long after the REF2014 submission but any evidence of it between January 2008 and July 2013 can be included. Many case studies have been around for a considerable time and, whilst people have been continually updating them, we can still keep an eye on them right up until the end. As we get nearer to the deadline it will become increasingly difficult to make changes but where there’s an opportunity to improve a submission, we will seek to ensure that we do so. It’s those small improvements that could make a big difference and tip the balance to take a submission up a grade. Achieving a better rating in just one or two instances could have significant reputational and financial implications for the University, so it really is worthwhile for everyone to have another look – it’s definitely an investment worth making.
As many of you will be aware, following the deadline extension for draft submissions, we have now extended the deadline for appeals to 30 September.
I must recognise that there is still a huge effort going on and that lots of people have worked – and are working – incredibly hard. When our final submission goes in on 29 November, we can be proud that we’ve put in the very best submission we could have and represented ourselves in the best possible light – I am confident that our efforts will pay dividends for the University and its staff and students.
David
Posted in: My Week