REF and Part Time

[dreamingwondering]

Bit of a confusing one - sorry.

I've heard from my head of department that they are concerned I can't be returned for REF. I'm on a 0.7 contract and they think the REF guidelines state that to be returned you have to have 0.2FTE assigned on your workload to research.

At present I have 20% of my time assigned to research but that is only 0.14 FTE.

I think they have misread the guidelines, to me it seems that you have to be on a minimum of a 0.2FTE contract and that the contract should be research or teaching and research.

Can anyone clarify? To me it seems that if my head is correct then REF is discriminating against part time workers (the majority of whom will be female).

My understanding of the rules (I'm part of our UoA's REF team) is the same as yours. We have several members of staff on 0.7FTE and below contracts we're fully expecting to submit. One of my senior colleagues is on the cusp of retirement and has been begged to go down to 0.2 FTE so we can keep him in our UoA's return so if your boss is right we're screwed! Like you we've been told it's the nature of the contract that matters - research/teaching & research. Our issues are with some PDRAs who are on support contracts and some senior colleagues on professorial management only contracts and may not be return-able but while the details are still being ironed out the key point is that someone with research anywhere in their remit and on a proper contract at 0.2 FTE or above is REF-able.

Thanks, that's good to know. I'll go speak to the staff on the REF team and hopefully they'll agree.

Yes that’s my reading of it too. Same as last REF in fact. It’s the contract they look at.

If you're on a 'standard' academic 'three-legged' contract: teaching, research, and administration, then yes, you are required to returned to the REF via your Unit of Assessment (UoA).

There is a 100%FTE requirement for anyone in a UoA with significant responsibility for research.

All staff entered must submit a minimum of 1 output at REF2 (and a maximum of 5 outputs). Outputs can be double-weights (ie 1 counting as 2) in certain circumstances relating to the extent & significance of the research.

The total number of outputs required for each UoA is the FTE times 2.5, although the university can make a case based on complex personal circumstances and/or maternity and/or ECR status to reduce the overall number required for a UoA.

This REF decouples individuals and outputs, by requiring 100% return of staff on contracts requiring research. Which I think is a good thing.

You can read all this for yourself in the Research England REF site at:

www.ref.ac.uk/

Knowledge is Power.