The four UK funding bodies have announced the appointment of members to the Environment Pilot Panel following an open application process. The panel is chaired by Professor Chris Day, Vice Chancellor and President of Newcastle University, and will pilot the assessment of the research environment at institution level.
The panel includes senior research leaders with a breadth of discipline expertise across a range of UK HEIs, as well as individuals with expertise in the wider use and benefits of research, and those with senior-level experience in research management.
Information about the institutional-level environment will be provided to the 34 REF sub-panels for context. It will not be scored by the sub-panels, and the pilot assessment will not contribute to the outcomes of REF 2021.
The introduction of an institutional-level submission for the environment was a key recommendation of an independent review of the REF, led by Lord Stern. The pilot panel will explore the feasibility of an institutional-level assessment, to inform inclusion of this element in future exercises. It will provide recommendations to the funding bodies and publish its findings in 2022.
Expressions of interest for membership of the panel were invited from any individual meeting the criteria set out in the person specification. In appointing the panel, the funding bodies have sought to ensure the panel membership reflects a spread of research expertise, diversity in size and type of HEI, and in user and international perspectives.
A full list of members appointed to the Environment Pilot Panel can be found here.
Notes
- The four UK funding bodies are the Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), Research England, and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).
- Information on the application process for panel membership can be found at http://www.ref.ac.uk/news/expressions-of-interest-invited-for-ref-institutional-environment-pilot-panel/
- Further information on the Environment pilot panel can be found at http://www.ref.ac.uk/news/the-uk-s-funding-bodies-appoint-a-chair-to-ref-pilot-panel/