Can we assess research culture responsibly? Reflections from the REF PCE indicators project

This presentation will explore whether and how research culture can be assessed in ways that are meaningful, responsible, and support positive change. It will outline the approach taken to co-develop indicators for use in the assessment of research culture in REF 2029, the principles that emerged, and key insights from sector workshops. It will also reflect on some of the tensions that surfaced—between the lengthy timeline of policy development and institutions’ need for clarity, between identifying core aspects of research culture for assessment and allowing flexibility to reflect sector diversity, and between enabling honest reflection and operating within a competitive assessment framework. These reflections are intended to prompt further discussion on how we approach the evaluation of research culture beyond REF.