Along with the resumption of REF2029 in December came the announcement that ‘PCE’ (People, Culture and Environment), will be replaced by SPRE (Strategy, People and Research Environment) - but is this anything more than alphabet soup?
The change to the environment element of REF follows significant public and media backlash about REF ‘going woke’, concerns about academic freedom raised by OfS, as well as other organisations and individuals, and significant challenges in effectively measuring what ‘good’ research culture looks like.
The 'war on woke' in R&D
In the UK (no doubt with influence from across the pond) measures to promote equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) have faced increasing criticism, scrutiny, and misplaced anger. The ‘war on woke’, and the rise of conservatism and alt-right politics, appear to align with rollbacks on EDI policies across the private sector and perhaps beyond. In higher education and research it has played out via the misappropriation of the free speech agenda. In December 2025 Lord Baron Young of Acton addressed the House of Lords to ask “whether any UK Research and Innovation-funded grants to study in UK universities are not open to white or Asian applicants”, claiming actions taken by funded organisations to ring-fence grants for widening participation groups to be “symptomatic of the capture of the research excellence framework by radical progressive ideology”. Such actions to reduce barriers to postgraduate and research opportunities for those from marginalised communities were articulately defended by Lord Vallance of Balham, Minister for Science, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon and others during the debate.
In the wake of strong and polarised debate, it is incredibly positive that the funding councils appear firm in stating that culture is going nowhere and that diversity of research and perspectives is a vital component of research excellence. In his speech lifting the pause on REF we were delighted to hear Lord Vallance making clear statements that, firstly, supporting inclusivity and research culture enables researchers and research to thrive, and, secondly, that a research system that enables diverse perspectives, disciplines and talent is key to excellent research that solves problems. We also welcome the efforts made in other changes to the policy to be inclusive of diverse research outputs and institutions, including decisions on portability and selective submissions as well as the continued importance of representativeness.
Championing EDI at GuildHE and across our institutions
Despite, and perhaps more importantly, because of the societal shifts we are seeing, GuildHE remains deeply committed to championing equity, diversity and inclusion across higher education and research. We support our institutions and the wider higher education sector by ensuring EDI considerations are embedded across all our policy and advocacy work - including REF - and by contributing to the development of guidance and best practice. We are now in the second year of running a Global Majority Network for postgraduate researchers, have delivered EDI training for our members on REF, and ran a pilot project with Wellcome Collection on flexible and accessible placement opportunities for self-funded PGR students. We also run an EDI network and lunchtime learning sessions for HE professionals at our member institutions.
As the sector representative body with the greatest diversity of types of institutions in UK higher education, we view diversity through three interconnected lenses: people, disciplines and places (where place denotes institutions, industries and geographical location). Diversity of institutions, industries, regions and disciplines drives diversity of pathways, opening routes to access and participation for people from all backgrounds and perspectives. Greater diversity of people then fosters rich, diverse perspectives and lenses through which to understand people, places, disciplines and the world around us. GuildHE members embody this within their institutions and research, drawing on their distinctive expertise, disciplines and connections to industries and places to produce impact-driven research and knowledge exchange projects. Examples include:
- Developing innovations to improve access and equity in the performing arts, such as Royal Central School for Speech and Drama’s Centre for Performance, Technology and Equity;
- Community-led collaborations to understand the lived experiences of local communities, such as Hartpury University’s research into health and wellbeing with the Gloucestershire Muslim community, co-created with creative agency Unreflected Reflections;
- Knowledge exchange projects to address inequalities, including Buckinghamshire New University's work on healthcare in boater communities;
- Global partnerships to promote equality in specific industries and careers, such as the University of the Built Environment’s collaboration with six universities worldwide to explore gender inequalities in careers in the built environment.
Such diversity is the strength of the UK higher education system, and the key to producing rich, high-quality and innovative research that advances knowledge, asks us to question and challenge, and finds solutions.
A call to action
With that in mind, let’s make sure that a change in wording does not shift our focus or diminish the value of inclusive, diverse and equitable cultures in research. Lord Vallance and the funders' celebration of diversity in research need to be more than lip service. SPRE should encourage institutions to demonstrate how equality, diversity and inclusion in people, place and discipline are woven across the institution and each unit’s strategy, culture and practice. The funders must make this clear in guidance, the sector must hold them accountable, and research organisations must continue to nurture EDI through their research and KE projects, accessibility of opportunities, and culture. Equality, diversity and inclusion must remain vital to the REF exercise, and therefore to how we think about and approach research now and in the future.