Digital Science, a technology company with a focus on the sciences, has announced that its Consultancy division will undertake a new project to analyse the wider impact of the research undertaken by UK universities.
Working in conjunction with sister company Nature Publishing Group and the policy institute at King's College, London, the analysis commissioned by HEFCE and partners, will draw on the 6,975 impact case studies submitted to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF). Partners include the Scottish Funding Council, Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, Department for Employment and Learning NI, Research Councils UK and the Wellcome Trust.
REF is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK universities and higher education colleges. The results of the 2014 REF will be published in December. As part of the REF exercise, universities submitted case studies showcasing the impact of their research beyond academia. These studies outline changes and benefits to the economy, society, culture, public policy and services, health, the environment and quality of life.
The results of the project will be published in Spring 2015 and a summary will also be published as a supplement in Nature.
