REF Management

This application area is used by Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in the United Kingdom.

AVEDAS has a long track record as a leading company on impact assessments of research activities and results. This expertise has been used in close collaboration with the CONVERIS UK User Group together with direct input from HEFCE and the REF pilots to design and implement a REF module to CONVERIS to ensure that UK HEIs get a best-of-breed support for their REF2014 preparation and submission.

The REF module is an extensive application area within CONVERIS, including:

• Extended data model with REF specific entities to manage information on output quality, impact and environment

• Additional user roles for the REF administrators and the REF Manager

• Specific REF reports to guide the selection of outputs to submit

• Complete workflow support for the researchers to propose outputs, and for the REF administrators to make final selections

• Interface with the REF submission system (when made available by HEFCE)

The REF module is in use since June 2011. In pace with further user input, along with new and modified requirements expressed by HEFCE, the REF module is being maintained and extended to ensure that internal needs and external requirements are met.

The UK User Group confirms that CONVERIS, together with this module, puts them on the forefront of managing research information and getting optimally equipped for a sustainable, cost-efficient and successful preparation for REF2014.