Sent from the Social Policy Executive Committee to the REF Director, June 2025
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Dear Rebecca Fairburn,
We are writing on behalf of the Social Policy Association to add our members’ concerns to those expressed by others about the potential impact of the proposed move to completely decouple staff from outputs in REF 2029. We understand the benefits of decoupling and recognise and appreciate that one of the aims of this proposal is to increase equality and fairness, an aim which we share. We were supportive of the decision taken for REF 2021 to break the link between individual staff outputs and unit submissions. However, we believe that the current crisis in the higher education sector, marked by redundancies and course/departmental closures and restructuring in many social science departments, has resulted in increased precarity and presents new challenges which should be considered.
There is potential for researchers to be negatively impacted by the introduction of the decoupling proposals in this hugely challenging context. The proposed restriction on portability could hamper the ability of researchers who have been made redundant to secure new employment, while their previous employer could benefit from the research they have previously produced. The impact could be particularly acute on early career staff and on those on temporary and/or fractional contracts.
We recognize that REF has stated its commitment to ensuring a balance of benefit and the minimisation of unintended consequences, and we share the goal of ensuring the REF process is transparent, fair and trusted. In this spirit, we ask that consideration be given to extending the transitionary measures introduced in 2021 regarding portability of outputs or put in place other mitigating measures (such as allowing portability for staff made redundant).
The changes taking place across higher education will impact on the culture and vitality of many units of assessment and impact significantly on the research time available to remaining staff. We ask that the REF team consider the introduction of measures to increase transparency around these changes. For example, institutions could be asked to provide information on restructuring and compulsory redundancies as part of their unit level submissions.
Yours Sincerely,
Ann Marie Gray (on behalf of the Executive of the Social Policy Association)