Today, the UK funding bodies have published the results of the UK’s most recent national research assessment exercise, Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.
Research from the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences (NDPHCS) was submitted to the Public Health, Health Services and Primary Care Unit of Assessment (UoA2), along with research from the Nuffield Department of Population Health (NDPH).
Overall, in UoA2, 96% of the submission was ranked either 4* (the highest score available for research quality that is world-leading in terms of originality, significance and rigour) or 3* (internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance, and rigour.
Professor Richard Hobbs, Head of Department, NDPHCS, said:
“These results are an impressive achievement. I would like to thank all our staff, collaborators and participants for their support and dedication in making this possible.
We have been one of the world’s most important primary care centres for over 20 years and our accelerating growth is reflected in the impact we make on policy, clinical practice and public health.”
Contributions from NDPHCS to the research impact case studies in the submission can be viewed on these webpages and included:
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Making the case for sugar taxes to combat obesity, leading to policy change in Mexico, the UK, and Ireland
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Enhancing clinical trial transparency and reporting
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Improving weight management through increased access to evidence-based weight loss support
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Saving healthcare resources through avoiding ineffective use of blood glucose self-monitoring for type 2 diabetes.
Further information, including the full impact case studies, will be published on the REF website during June and July.
Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, commented on the overall REF results for the University:
“The REF 2021 results demonstrate once again that Oxford is a research powerhouse, and the impact case studies highlight our effectiveness in putting this research in service to society by making critical contributions to global health, economic prosperity and cultural life.”
You can read more about the University of Oxford’s REF results here and the sector results on the REF 2021 website.