Senior staff at the University of Bristol are delighted to report that the results of REF 2021 have reinforced our standing as an institution where world-leading research takes place across all disciplines. An outstanding 94% of research conducted by our research community was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent.
Our overall percentage of research rated as world-leading (4* rating) was 57% – a substantial 16 percentage points higher than the sector average of 41%. On top of this a further 37% of our research was judged to be internationally excellent (3* rating).
The Times Higher Education has calculated each university's Grade Point Average (GPA) across the four rating categories to compare research quality across 157 UK institutions. On this basis, Bristol was ranked fifth, a rise of six places from 11th when the results of the last REF were published in 2014.
The REF is a UK-wide assessment of university research carried out by Research England on behalf of the four UK higher education funding bodies. Its aim is to secure the continuation of a world-class, dynamic and responsive research base across the full academic spectrum within UK higher education. Submissions include research outputs, examples of the wider impact of research and evidence about the research environment. Material is assessed by a series of expert panels comprising UK and international researchers, external users of research and experts in interdisciplinary research.