A festival for everyone involved in research

The Festival of Hidden REF

The Festival of Hidden REF takes place on 7 and 8 October 2025 at Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum. The Festival brings together people who work with non-traditional outputs and in Hidden Roles with policymakers, publishers and others involved in research assessment. The Festival’s focus is on sharing knowledge about diverse outputs and Hidden Roles, collecting new ideas and the latest developments from attendees and, most importantly, celebrating everyone who contributes to research.

Registration is now open!

We have secured accommodation allocations via Meet Birmingham where you can also find travel information, things to do in Birmingham, places to eat and drink and the new Birmingham Visitor Pass!

Day 1 of the Hidden REF Festival will see participants directly shape the Hidden REF not traditionally submitted output (NTO) workshops ahead of their official launch in late-2025. Community co-creation is vital to the success of these workshops. To ensure fit with current community need, the sessions on this day will focus on piloting and gathering feedback on methods for evaluating diverse research outputs, as well as providing opportunities for attendees to act as ambassadors and promote NTO Workshops within their own institutions.

Day 2 of the Hidden REF Festival will focus on empowering change, building the community, and centering hidden roles in research. Practitioners, experts, and policy makers will share their perspectives on and mechanisms for rewarding and recognising diverse research outputs and careers. And alongside lightning talks, roundtables, and plenary talks, attendees will have the opportunity to help define what success should look like for the Hidden REF campaign in and beyond this REF cycle.  

A huge thank you to our sponsors for supporting the Hidden REF and helping us make the Festival more accessible and impactful.

Research Professional News will be joining the event as our official media partner