Research Excellence Framework

The University of Birmingham’s world-leading research tackles some of the greatest challenges facing humanity and helps to improves the lives of people everywhere.

The latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021, published May 2022) confirms that we are one of the best universities in the UK. The REF results are an outstanding vote of confidence in the quality of our research and our contribution to society, bolstering our ambition to become a Top 50 Global University.

Discover more about the University's REF 2021 results, showing the quality profiles for each of our 28 submissions.

The University of Birmingham’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adam Tickell, says: ‘This was a tremendous result and reflects many years of hard work by outstanding researchers working at the forefront of their disciplines. But the most important thing is not the ranking itself but the confirmation that we are collectively engaged in world-leading work that has a genuine impact on people’s lives.

‘Our REF results highlight the strong partnerships we have, including with industry and the health, education, and cultural sectors. It is not enough to simply undertake high quality research, it is only through working in partnership with others in our region and across the world that we can deliver solutions to improve people’s lives, society and our planet.’

I am extremely proud that the quality and significance of our research and its wider impact were recognised by the assessment panels. Our credo over a number of years now has been to produce ‘research that matters’, whether that means breakthroughs in discovery science and philosophical enquiry that change the way people think, or innovations across the full range of our disciplines that transform the way people and institutions act. Excellent results in the REF derive from our pursuit of a larger goal: that is, for our research, in partnership with diverse people and organisations, to make the world a better place for individuals, society, and the environment.

Professor Hugh Addlington, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research

What is REF?

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a national assessment which is carried out by the UK’s four higher education funding organisations every seven years to evaluate the standard and broader impact of research in the country’s higher education institutions.

It helps to maintain quality and world-class research across the breadth of the UK’s universities and assesses the impact of this multi-disciplinary work, informing accountability and future funding and public investment.

The most recent REF results were delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why it was branded REF21.

A total of 157 UK higher education institutions (HEIs) made submissions in 34 subject-based Units of Assessment (UOAs). The submissions were assessed by panels of experts, including international researchers skilled in interdisciplinary collaboration, who produced an overall quality profile for each submission. Each profile shows the proportion of research activity judged by the panels to have met each of the four starred quality levels in steps of 1%.

Game-changing impact

The REF results also recognise the game-changing impact that the University’s research has on global health challenges: tackling inequalities, driving innovation with industry and manufacturing, and addressing major issues such as climate change.

Our Research Spotlights showcase our pioneering breakthroughs, multidisciplinary collaborations and significant global impact.