The results from the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF) have highlighted the global impact of Cambridge’s research in Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care unit of assessment. The vast majority – 97% – of Cambridge’s submitted work has been rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (see https://results2021.ref.ac.uk/).
These assessments were based on the work of over 100 researchers across the Department of Public Health and Primary Care, the MRC Epidemiology Unit, and the MRC Biostatistics Unit.
Within the Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care unit of assessment, 74% of Cambridge’s submitted work was awarded the highest rating of 4* overall, meaning they are ‘world-leading’. A further 23% of submitted work was rated 3* overall (‘internationally excellent’).
Professor John Danesh, Head of the Department of Public Health and Primary Care, said: “I am very pleased with the outcome of the Research Excellence Framework, which affirms the high quality and outstanding positive impact on society of our work. The result reflects the hard work of staff across the Department of Public Health and Primary Care, alongside our population health colleagues in the MRC Units, over many years. We look forward to building on this foundation through our exciting plans for future research.”
The REF is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions and is undertaken by the four UK higher education funding bodies: Research England, the Scottish Funding Council, the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, and the Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland.
74% of Cambridge’s submitted work was awarded the highest rating of 4* overall, meaning they are ‘world-leading’. A further 23% of submitted work was rated 3* overall (‘internationally excellent’)
Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, added: “I would like to congratulate and thank everyone who has taken part in this year’s REF for all their hard work, which we believe has paid off in these results. What we see today is not just the excellence of Cambridge research, but also the breadth of its impact, with researchers across many disciplines bringing a fresh perspective on how we tackle major problems facing our world today.”
For the purpose of the REF, each academic discipline is assigned to one of 34 units of assessment such as Clinical Medicine, Chemistry, Business and Management Studies and Philosophy. Each unit is judged by three criteria – outputs (such as publications, performances, and exhibitions), their impact, and the environment that supports research.