The College’s Code of Practice on the fair and transparent selection of staff for submission to REF2014 is now awaiting approval by HEFCE. All higher education institutions making submissions to REF2014 are required to have and implement such a Code. Its purpose is to govern the decision-making processes about which staff to submit. It outlines who will make these decisions, the criteria that may be used, and describes how decisions will be communicated to staff. Other important components include the appeals process and the procedures to ensure that the College’s approach is consistent and inclusive and complies with current equalities legislation.
The Code was informed by consultation with key College staff and developed with the benefit of input from representatives from established forums such as the University and College Union (UCU), the Equality and Diversity Committee, Staff Advisory Groups, the Academic Opportunities Committee, HR, Faculty Principals and REF Leads. A draft of the Code was published internally on the College’s REF website inviting comment from all staff. The final version of the Code was approved for submission to HEFCE by the REF Steering Group.
The College’s Code of Practice can be downloaded here: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/ref/equality