REF2029 really is different - and that creates new opportunities for public engagement

The recently published guidance for REF2029 marks a significant shift in how research quality, impact and culture are understood, and how engagement underpins excellence. For those working in public engagement, this creates a real opportunity: to make visible the contribution of engagement practice, professional expertise and learning as integral to excellent research. But this opportunity is not automatic. Institutional REF planning often defaults to caution and continuity, and without shared interpretation the significance of these changes could easily be overlooked. 

This blog explores what has changed in REF2029, why it matters for engagement professionals, and how this moment can be used to open more productive conversations with colleagues. 

At first glance, REF2029 looks familiar. Profiles remain (though the titles have changed significantly). Impact is still assessed through case studies. Quality is still judged through expert review. 

But the centre of gravity has shifted. For public engagement, the guidance now: 

• defines engagement as purposeful, responsible and context-appropriate
• welcomes engagement across the research lifecycle
• invites explanation of process, judgement and responsibility, not just outcomes
• recognises the contribution of engagement professionals and enabling roles
• embeds engagement across all three profiles, not just impact narratives 

Taken together, this reframes engagement as a core mechanism through which research creates value. REF2029 invites institutions to explain how engagement decisions are made, supported and learned from over time - and how this strengthens research quality, impact and resilience. 

It would be easy to read these changes as REF2029 simply becoming more welcoming of public engagement. But that misses the bigger point. 

REF2029 reflects a more realistic understanding of how research creates value. Impact is no longer treated as something that automatically follows from excellent research. Instead, it is expected to be achieved through credible pathways, shaped by engagement, responsible judgement and learning over time. 

In this context, engagement is not an add-on. It is both a mechanism through which research creates impact and a vital source of evidence that makes claims of contribution and impact credible in the REF. These expectations cut across all three profiles rather than sitting neatly in a single section of the guidance. 

REF2029 invites institutions to think differently about excellence, but it does not tell them how to do that thinking well. So how can Public Engagement Professionals help colleagues understand the changes and the value engagement can contribute? 

We think these three questions help surface what has really changed - and where engagement expertise can strengthen the coherence, credibility and strategic quality of an institution’s overall REF return. 

1. How are we showing research quality? 

From “where it’s published” to “what it contributes” 

REF2029 no longer allows research quality to be inferred from prestige alone. Panels expect institutions to explain what a coherent body of work contributes to knowledge, how that contribution is made, and why it matters. 

Public engagement practice often strengthens this explanation. Dialogue, co-production and partnership can sharpen research questions, test assumptions and make contributions clearer and more grounded in context. 

What PE professionals contribute: 

• articulating research contribution, not just describing outputs
• evidencing how engagement has shaped questions, methods or interpretation 

This helps move REF narratives from listing outputs to making research quality legible and persuasive. 

2. How are research quality and impact produced? 

From individual effort to collective practice and pathways 

REF2029 no longer assumes that quality and impact flow automatically from individual academic achievement. Instead, it recognises that they are produced through collective practice - shaped by people, relationships, engagement and judgement over time. 

Public engagement professionals are central to making these pathways effective and visible. Engagement practice often underpins how research connects to real-world change, particularly where responsibility, iteration and partnership matter. 

What PE professionals contribute: 

• making pathways to impact explicit, credible and responsible
• connecting research activity, partners and outcomes into a coherent story 

Without this work, pathways remain implicit and impact claims weaker than they need to be. 

3. How are we sustaining excellence over time? 

From “business as usual” to people-centred, adaptive strategy 

REF2029 expects institutions to explain how excellence is actively sustained through strategy, culture and ways of working - including how they support people, learn from practice and adapt to change. 

This is where public engagement expertise becomes particularly valuable. Engagement professionals often work at the intersection of people, practice and change, and bring experience in supporting reflective, inclusive and adaptive research environments. 

What PE professionals contribute: 

• showing how engagement is embedded across research, impact and environment
• evidencing how people-centred practice, learning and adaptation strengthen excellence 

This shifts REF narratives away from static descriptions of infrastructure and workforce, towards a more convincing account of how institutions develop the people and practices that enable research to create value. 

REF2029 creates space for institutions to be rewarded not just for what they produce, but for how they work. Public engagement professionals are well placed to help institutions tell that story - and to ensure it is grounded in real practice rather than aspiration. 

These conversations also open up longer-term questions about the role of research in society. This is the focus of our Engaged Futures work, which explores practical visions for a sector that is more connected, trusted, open to learning, and focused on the value it creates for people and places. 

Turning these ideas into practice is not straightforward, particularly in a pressured environment. That’s why we’re developing REF2029 support that builds on our experience of engagement, impact and culture change across the sector, including: 

• REF orientation workshops to build shared understanding
• SPRE narrative development support focused on strategy, people and learning
• Engagement and impact support to strengthen case studies and pathways 

We’ve also recently run a webinar unpacking the key changes and what they mean in practice. 

REF2029 offers a genuine chance to bring engagement practice, professional expertise and learning into the heart of REF conversations - through careful explanation, evidence and reflection. 

Making the most of this moment will take time, shared understanding and collaboration. We are keen to help - please get in touch.