Thursday 12 November 2026 · Edition twelve
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Welcome to Research Agenda – it’s a special edition of our briefing with resources and reflections from yesterday’s live event.
Plus: The final REF guidance has arrived.
And we’ll be talking about just this topic at our next webinar, so mark your calendars for 19 January 2027.
Michael Salmon, Editor
michael@researchagenda.news
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Our top story
UKRI, transformed
Enormous thanks to all who joined Research Agenda’s first ever webinar yesterday.
If you missed it, the recording and resources are now available for catch-up viewing.
We were joined by ESRC executive chair Stian Westlake and a superb panel of guests from around the sector, with the debate covering everything from buckets to devolution, demand management to university funding.
We’ve written up the highlights on the site this morning.
The other big event yesterday was the arrival of final guidance for the 2029 Research Excellence Framework.
There is still plenty to unpack in the details, but it’s clear that REF is now entering a new phase as the submission window approaches – and it’s an important moment to take stock and work out where we are, especially given the financial situation of many of those higher education institutions that will be taking part.
So join us on Tuesday 19 January for Research Agenda’s next online event, where we will attempt to grapple with that ever-relevant question: where are we with the REF?
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The newswire
The latest on the wire – every item reported in full on the site.
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In brief
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Russell Group universities have set out new commitments aimed at strengthening the clinical academic pipeline.
These include enhancing awareness of clinical academic careers, for example through school and community outreach, and new partnerships which could involve joint appointments of fellowships. |
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The European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy has confirmed its position on the next Horizon Europe programme, which would see a €200bn budget and a more autonomous European Research Council.
MEP René Repasi has set out the main developments in a social media post. |
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The reading room
Worth your time from Wonkhe and across the wider community.
Growth medium
Richard Hebdon · The Entrepreneurs Network
The state of research infrastructure is harming research
David Kernohan · Wonkhe
Whose publication?
Athene Donald · Occam’s Typewriter
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Research in the media
Where research policy made the news.
The Guardian
The Guardian view on the British Library: don’t privatise the reading rooms
The Times
The Science Museum is misreading science – not all ways of knowing are equal
Financial Times
Letter: Let’s focus research more on what already works
Nature
Editorial: Metascience should be a source of evidence, not a means of control
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The diary
See full calendar and submit your own event →
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