Highest possible impact score for Politics and IR in national research framework
12 May 2022
Research in Politics and International Relations at Cardiff University has scored the highest possible score of 4.0 for impact in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF).
The REF is a process of expert review which takes place every six years to assess and demonstrate the value and impact of research carried out at higher education institutions across the UK. This year 157 universities took part in the assessment which involved 76,132 academic staff and 6,781 submitted impact case studies.
In the latest framework, over 80% of the school’s submission to the Politics and International Studies Unit of Assessment (UOA), was considered world-leading or internationally excellent in terms of originality and significance.
The research engages with the fabric of national and international policy and practice with core strengths in politics, devolution, the history of political thought and international relations. Political and International Relations expertise at the school is broad, ranging from embedding deep seabed mining into Africa's Blue Economy policy, to devolved national political issues, such as reshaping the Senedd Cymru’s (Welsh Parliament) franchise, size and electoral system.
The school is an inclusive, diverse and collaborative research community. Reflective of this, 100% of our eligible staff submitted to this Unit of Assessment.
Professor Richard Wyn Jones, Director of the Wales Governance Centre, said: “We’re thrilled to be one of only three UK universities awarded the highest possible impact scores for our work in the field of politics and international relations. Engaged scholarship is a hallmark of our department. We seek not only to understand but to address real world problems – both here in Wales and across the globe. It’s truly gratifying to see our efforts being recognised in this way.”
Find out about Cardiff University’s overall results and the school’s results within its unit of assessment – Politics and International Studies
