9th in the UK for research impact

Cardiff University’s School of Welsh, working alongside the School of Modern Languages, has been placed 9th in the UK for research impact in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF).

The REF is a process of expert review which takes place every six years to assess and demonstrate the value and impact of research carried out at higher education institutions across the UK. This year 157 universities took part in the assessment which involved 76,132 academic staff and 6,781 submitted impact case studies.

In the latest framework, well over 80% of research submitted to the Modern Languages and Linguistics Unit of Assessment was deemed world-leading or internationally excellent. This brings together work carried out by colleagues from the School of Welsh and the School of Modern Languages, who share a distinctive interest in interdisciplinary and transnational approaches to literary and visual cultures, translation, heritage and sociolinguistics.

Impact case studies from across the two schools addressed topics of real significance such as language commissioners and language regulation in Wales and Ireland and mentoring schemes to encourage young people to learn languages.

Both schools foster an inclusive, diverse and collaborative research community. Reflective of this, 100% of eligible staff were submitted to this Unit of Assessment, placing it 11th in the UK for research environment.

The influential combination of humanities and social science scholarship, with a strong focus on impactful and policy-relevant research, secured an overall grade point of average (GPA) of 3.30.

Dr Dylan Foster Evans, Head of the School of Welsh said: “I’m delighted to see that the outstanding work of all our staff has been recognised by the Research Excellence Framework. This includes the very real impact that our contribution has had on areas of fundamental importance to the future of the Welsh language. The REF has also drawn attention to the quality of our research environment, which bodes very well for future developments at Cardiff. It’s a very exciting time to be researching into the Welsh language, its literature and culture here in the capital city.”

Find out about Cardiff University’s overall results and the school’s results within its unit of assessment – Modern Languages and Linguistics.