Solent celebrates research results

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the UK’s system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.

Overall, in REF 2021, 34% of Solent’s research was assessed as world-leading and internationally excellent – up from 19% in 2014; and 50% of our research outputs were rated as world-leading and internationally excellent – up from 28% in 2014.

The University’s submission included research from 59 researchers – up from 43 researchers in 2014.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Karen Stanton says, “This fantastic achievement is the culmination of years of hard work right across the University’s Faculties, Schools and Professional Services. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all who were involved in the REF exercise.

“From this strong basis, the 2020-2025 Strategy with research at its heart sets the framework for the ambitious research trajectory towards the next REF cycle that Solent has already embarked on. Our focus is high-quality research and learning across our research themes and knowledge exchange priorities in an inclusive environment that supports Solent’s drive for real-world learning, real-world research and real-world impact,” Professor Stanton continues. 

Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange Professor Syamantak Bhattacharya adds, “Our work towards the next REF submission began even before today’s results were released. Focusing on our core strengths and areas of expertise is at the heart of this work and takes our significant improvement in REF 2021 as its firm foundation.”  

The REF is undertaken by the four UK higher education funding bodies: Research England, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), and the Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland (DfE). The funding bodies aim to secure the continuation of a world-class, dynamic and responsive research base across the full academic spectrum within UK higher education.