Cardiff Business School maintains highest possible research environment score in REF 2021

Cardiff Business School is one of only two UK business schools to have maintained the highest possible score for research environment in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF).

This outcome reflects the school’s collegial, inclusive and participative culture, and Public Value ethos, where researchers contribute rigorous, thoughtful and engaged research that impacts their disciplines and wider society.

Submissions from the school included research on addressing gender pay inequality, disability rights, renewable energy investments and improving local government performance.

The REF provides a robust and thorough assessment of the quality of universities’ research in all disciplines. In total, 157 UK universities participated, submitting over 76,000 academic staff.

Environment assessments evaluate the strategy, resources and infrastructure that support research and enable impact.

For REF 2021, the school submitted 100 additional researchers compared with 2014. This, combined with a top quartile GPA, puts Cardiff Business School 2^nd among 108 Business Schools in the UK for research power (an indicator of the scale and quality of our submission).

Professor Rachel Ashworth, Dean and Head of Cardiff Business School, said: “I am so pleased to see the endorsement of our collegial and collaborative research environment in the outcomes from REF 2021, in addition to our Public Value ethos.

“The submission of 100% of our eligible staff is reflective of our inclusive research community.

“I would like to thank all my colleagues for their many contributions to our vibrant and interdisciplinary research culture that integrates international academic excellence with tangible and widespread societal impact.”

Read more about our REF 2021 submission and our research.

Read more about the impact of our research.