In response to the recently completed Research Excellence Framework (REF), The Culture Capital Exchange hosted a discussion event comprising of a series of short reflections on the nature and processes of the REF, followed by a wider conversation and debate.

The purpose of the event was to invite TCCE member academics and those involved in the REF submission to meet informally to share experience, voice concerns and put forward recommendations for the future in a Chatham House style environment. Given TCCE’s remit as connector between research and the creative and cultural industries, the event focussed on issues concerning both impact and research elements of the REF, resulting in lively and fruitful discussions. Topics ranged from challenges regarding impact and retrospectivity, to the merger of Arts and Humanities with Social Sciences, to future considerations.

Contributors/Speakers:  Professor Evelyn Welch, Vice Principal (Arts and Sciences), King’s College London; Professor Carole-Anne Upton, Dean, School of Media and Performing Arts, Middlesex University; Professor Simon Shepherd, Deputy Principal, Central School of Speech and Drama; Professor David Cesarani, Research Chair in History, Royal Holloway, University of London