Community Calls
The Hidden REF Community Calls are open, informal spaces for people across the research community to come together and talk about research culture – what’s working, what’s challenging, and what could be done differently.
Each session brings together a mix of perspectives to share experiences, ideas, and practical approaches to recognising the full range of contributions that make research possible.
Next community call
29th October 11.00-12.00
Register for the next call if you would like to take part. If you want to share something with the community, please submit a community share request.
Our next Hidden REF community call will focus on the upcoming REF 2029 criteria and guidance, due to be published in mid-November.
We’ll discuss what we’re hoping to see in the updated guidance, what we should be looking out for, and what it could mean for recognising the diversity of research outputs and the contributions that make research possible.
In particular, we’ll explore:
What are we looking forward to? What questions do we hope the new criteria and guidance will answer, and where are we hoping to see greater clarity or progress?
What should we be looking out for? What might have important implications for how research outputs are defined, assessed and recognised?
This is an opportunity to share perspectives, identify questions and consider what the new guidance could mean for the Hidden REF community.
Community share slot
We’re also inviting members of the community to briefly share practical ideas, approaches, tools, examples or experiences that might help others in recognising and valuing hidden research contributions. A small number of 2-minute slots will be available during the call. If you’d like to share something, please complete the short form by 23rd October so we can plan the agenda depending on interest.
To make sure you don’t miss out on future calls, join our mailing list
Previous community calls
28th July 2026
Our fourth community call explored what counts in research, with a particular focus on the Hidden REF competition. We discussed the range of research outputs, roles and contributions that can be recognised, and how these fit within the competition’s different categories.
The session provided an opportunity to ask questions, explore specific examples and learn more about how the competition recognises the diverse contributions that make research possible.
19th May 2026
Our third community call brought together 28 attendees to explore hidden contributions, not-traditionally submitted outputs, and the practical challenges of recognising the full range of work that makes research possible. We shared examples, ideas, approaches, and resources to help build confidence in recognising and talking about not-traditionally submitted outputs in practice.
To learn about what happened during the session, you can read this blog post.
24th March 2026
In this call, we brought together 22 attendees to discuss recognising research differently. We introduced our new community share out, which allows anyone to promote their experience and ideas around research assessment and the REF.
To learn about what happened during the session, you can read this blog post.
27th January 2026
The first ever Hidden REF community call!
The call brought together more than 60 people from across the UK research landscape to talk about shaping a healthy research culture: your experiences, our future.
To learn about what happened during the session, you can read this blog post.