The Higher Education Minister, in a speech to Universities UK Conference last week, said that he wanted the REF to send “a strong signal and give a strong financial incentive” for university departments to “find ways of helping turn that [research] into impacts that benefit the economy and society as a whole”. In terms of how impact may be assessed, he said: “Improved products and services for business are important, but so are things like improved quality of life, and better evidence-based Government policy-making”. Read the THE report of this speech or read the Minister’s speech in full.
