Pillar B: Research Environment (25%) Guidance
Submission Information
Higher Education Institution (HEI):
REF Pakistan Cycle:
Unit(s) of Assessment / Discipline(s):
Faculty / Department(s) Covered (if applicable):
Reporting Period:
Date of Submission:
Purpose of the Research Environment Statement
This Environment Statement demonstrates how research capacity, culture, and sustainability have been nurtured within the HEI.
The statement must provide evidence of policies and outcomes, not aspirations, and must reflect institution-level practice, with clarification of any faculty-, department-, or unit-specific distinctions where relevant.
The Environment Statement contributes 25% of the overall REF Pakistan score for a submission.
Method and Format Requirements
Submit a single Environment Statement of up to 10 pages
Content must be evidence-based
Data tables must be included where specified
Where the same environment applies across multiple sub-disciplines, the same statement may be duplicated
Where staff are drawn from distinct faculties, departments, or organisational units, distinctive aspects must be explained within each relevant section
1. Research Vision and Leadership
Required Content
Provide a structured account of:
The context and mission of the HEI
The size, structure, and mission of the institution
The institution’s overall strategy for research
How the institution enables research impact
This section must explicitly address:
Research leadership and governance arrangements
Institutional strategy for:
Research excellence
Impact generation
Research integrity
Open research practices
Interdisciplinary research
Evidence Requirements
Evidence of implemented policies
Evidence of demonstrable outcomes
Clear articulation of institutional structures supporting research and impact
Aspirational statements without supporting evidence must not be included.
2. People and Culture (Mentoring, Equality, Inclusivity)
Required Content
Describe how the institution:
Supports and develops its research workforce
Promotes a positive, inclusive research culture
Supports research students
Embeds equality, diversity, and inclusion in research careers
This section must include:
The institutional staffing strategy for research
Support and training arrangements for:
Early-career researchers
Established researchers
Research students
Evidence of how equality and diversity are:
Supported
Promoted
Embedded across the institution
Implemented Initiatives
Include examples of initiatives that have been implemented, such as:
Mentoring systems
Internal grant schemes
Structured training programmes
Organisational Structure Requirement
Where staff included in the submission are drawn from:
Multiple faculties
Multiple departments
Other distinct organisational units
The submission must:
Explain this structure
Describe any distinctive research-environment features within those units
If all chosen sub-disciplines are housed in a single faculty or department, the same environment statement may be duplicated.
3. Infrastructure and Funding
Required Content
Describe the institution-level resources and facilities available to support research, including:
Physical research infrastructure
Digital and data infrastructure
Institutional research facilities
Support services for researchers
This section must include:
Research income
Infrastructure and facilities
Mechanisms supporting:
The reproducibility of research, as appropriate to the research focus of the HEI
The facilitation of research impact
Mandatory Data Tables
Include three-year data tables covering:
Research income
Research infrastructure investment
Relevant institutional research support metrics
4. Sustainability and Future Plans
Required Content
Explain how the institution ensures the long-term sustainability of its research environment, including:
Strategic planning for research continuity
Workforce sustainability
Financial sustainability
Development of future research capacity
Mandatory Data Tables
Include data tables covering:
Research income
Research staff
PhD completions
Data must reflect institutional-level trends and support claims made in the narrative.
5. Partnerships and Collaboration
Required Content
Describe the institution’s approach to:
Research partnerships
Collaboration with:
Other HEIs
Industry
Government
Policy bodies
Communities
International partners
The section should explain how partnerships:
Strengthen research quality
Enable impact beyond academia
Support sustainability and capacity-building
Evidence must demonstrate active, implemented collaboration, not intended or planned activity.
Additional Notes
The Environment Statement will not usually relate only to a single department or coherent organisational unit
Additional contextual information may be included where it helps explain institutional diversity
All claims must be supported by verifiable evidence or data
Checklist for Institutions
All five required sections completed
Evidence provided for all claims
Data tables included where required
Organisational distinctions explained where applicable
Statement does not exceed 10 pages