Research Excellence Framework 2021 Results
12 May 2022
The School of Computer Science and Informatics has achieved a successful result in the recently announced Research Excellence Framework exercise, with 96% of our research considered world leading or internationally excellent.
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a UK wide research assessment of university research performance which takes place every seven years. The results for the 2021 REF were announced on Thursday 12th May.
In addition to increasing our GPA for each area, we are delighted that our research power, which is an indicator of the scale and quality of our research submission, has tripled since 2014. We are also pleased to announce that 96% of our research submission to the current REF has been considered internationally excellent or world leading, which recognises a significant improvement in our research performance.
Since the 2014 REF exercise our School has seen considerable growth in staff and students. We submitted 100% of our current eligible research staff for REF 2021, representing a marked growth in our submission.
In addition, 100% of our research impact has been assessed as outstanding or very significant, which reflects our strong links with industry and other research partners.
The Head of School, Professor Stuart Allen, said: “I am extremely proud of our REF result which recognises the quality of our research performance over the last seven years. Our School has almost doubled in size since the last REF exercise - returning 100% of our eligible staff reflects our research-intensive culture, our inclusive environmentand the excitement and enthusiasm generated by the excellent cohort of early career researchers that we have recruited. The research environment in our School has been transformed by the excellent facilities and opportunities for collaboration that our new Abacws building now offers. Our results are a testament not only to the hard work and expertise of our research staff but to the contribution of all the staff within our School.”
The School of Computer Science and Informatics has a strong tradition of interdisciplinary research and this has led to the establishment of five university research centres focusing on Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Crime and Security and Social Sciences.
Our close collaborative relationships with industry and academic partners have contributed to the global impact of our research, as is exemplified by our research into detecting and preventing malicious software.
Professor Allen said: “The strong partnerships we have developed with industry and other organisations have strengthened our research and supported our commitment to addressing the global challenges associated with our discipline.”
Further information about the Cardiff University REF 2021 submission is available on the university's central research pages.
Find out more about research in the School of Computer Science and Informatics