Prepare for REF 2029 with LabArchives ELN

With the last Research Excellence Framework (REF) assessment well behind us, many institutions are looking ahead to 2029 and considering how they can give their research teams the best chances at securing funding,  attracting collaborations, and enhancing their reputation. For many institutions, this means evaluating how day-to-day research processes are impacting their ability to illustrate the quality and impact of their work to review panels. As discussed below, assessment of the research environment can have a significant impact on REF review. Adopting a modern electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) like LabArchives to support best practices in data management, lab connectivity, collaboration and research reproducibility can help position institutions for a successful REF review.

Evaluating the Research Environment

One of the key components of the REF exercise is the environment statement, which is a section of the submission that focuses on the research environment of the institution; it accounts for 15% of the overall result. The environment statement is designed to assess the vitality and sustainability of the research environment by evaluating the infrastructure, resources, and research culture that together support the research activities of the institution. It is a critical aspect of any REF submission and carries significant weight in the assessment of research quality. 

There are four main components to the environment statement:

1. Context and mission. What is the size and structure of the institution? What is the documented mission of the institution?
2. Strategy. How does the institution facilitate research impact? Examples might include promoting open access publication, amplifying research coverage, and providing support systems to facilitate interdisciplinary research.
    
3. People. How does the institution approach hiring and training? How does the institution ensure equality and diversity in research careers?
4. Income, infrastructure and facilities. What infrastructure is in place to support research activities? These include equipment, resources, and facilities as well as support staff to facilitate research activities. Importantly, the REF underscores that this aspect should include mechanisms for supporting the reproducibility of research. 

Four Ways LabArchives Can Impact Research-Environment Assessment

LabArchives ELN provides numerous benefits within academic research environments that can help institutions best prepare for REF their review. For example, LabArchives ELN can facilitate the vitality and sustainability of interdisciplinary research at an institution in four key ways.

1. Improved organisation, collaboration, productivity, and research reproducibility

The LabArchives ELN provides a centralised location for researchers across all disciplines to document their experimental procedures, results, observations and notes. This can make it easier for researchers to find and share information, collaborate with team members (either internally or externally), avoid duplicating efforts, and support reproducibility, which are all factors that ultimately improve overall research efficiency and effectiveness. The LabArchives ELN can also streamline the data collection and analysis process, making it faster and easier for researchers to collect and interpret their data. This can create a more efficient workflow, reducing lead time to generate and analyse results. Thus, LabArchives ELN can contribute to the strategy for facilitating research impact and supporting interdisciplinary collaborations—key considerations in an REF assessment. Further, institution-wide implementation of an ELN is an indicator of institutional support of research activities. 

2. Enhanced data security, accessibility and compliance with regulatory standards

LabArchives ELN has industry-leading security procedures for data management that help improve data security and accessibility compared to traditional paper lab notebooks. LabArchives ELN can be backed up and stored in secure locations, and researchers can easily access their data from anywhere with an internet connection. Many regulatory bodies require that researchers maintain accurate and detailed records of their experiments. The LabArchives ELN can help researchers meet these requirements by providing a more organised and standardised format for documenting their work. Adherence to specific compliance regulations is often an important factor for research institutions that hope to undergo REF review. For example, consider the Human Tissue Act (HTA), a UK law that regulates the removal, storage, use and disposal of human tissue for research, medical treatment and education. In addition to establishing guidelines for the management and handling of human tissue, the HTA also covers how data practices must comply with specific requirements for data protection, consent, confidentiality, record keeping, audit and inspection. Proven adherence to compliance regulations, such as the HTA, is an important part of the Environment Statement of the REF, which indicates that higher education institutions (HEIs) must demonstrate compliance with current data protection legislation.  Utilising the LabArchives ELN will help demonstrate this commitment. 

3. Reduced carbon footprint

Another consideration of the REF guidance is research sustainability. Researchers can significantly reduce their paper consumption by using a digital lab notebook with LabArchives. They can store all their notes, data and results digitally, eliminating the need for paper notebooks and printouts. This can help reduce the carbon footprint associated with paper production and transportation. Because the ELN can be remotely accessed by all collaborators, there is no need for numerous emails to send results back and forth, thereby reducing the carbon footprint involved in sending and storing numerous emails. The LabArchives ELN can also help researchers better manage their wet-lab experiments and materials, reducing waste. Researchers can reduce the need for physical storage space, reducing the energy consumption associated with climate-controlled storage areas. Overall, the adoption of an LabArchives ELN can lead to a more sustainable research environment, which is expressly outlined in the REF guidance. 

4. Better data management and analysis for improved research outcomes

LabArchives can integrate with many other digital tools and applications for research, such as Microsoft Office, Virtual Learning Environments, research tools and data analysis software. These integrations help researchers better manage and analyse their data and can help them uncover insights and patterns that might be missed with traditional paper lab notebooks. LabArchives ELN provides infrastructure that can help researchers at academic institutions work more efficiently and collaborate more effectively, improving research impact—a key REF evaluation criteria 

Need Help Preparing for REF 2029?

If you’re planning to submit for REF 2029, now is the time to let LabArchives help your research teams adopt technology and processes that will ensure a successful research-environment assessment. Talk to a LabArchives expert to explore which solution will best help your institution prepare for the next REF review.

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