Impact Hostility Might Be 'Melting Away,' but REF Still Delayed

Two interesting news items this week: first, David Sweeney, Demon Barber of HEFCE, has been quoted as saying that 'consensus is breaking out around the sector' about the worth of including Impact in the REF. Sweeney was speaking at an 'Impact in the Context of the REF' conference and stated that he believed that the Impact pilot exercise had gone 'really well.' This might be overstating the case: I've listened to some involved in it, and the message from them was luke warm at best, but generally thankful that they'd been involved to understand the issues involved.

The second piece of news is that Two Brains Willetts, in his speech on 9 July, said that he 'appreciates why scientists are wary' of impact, going on to announce a delay of a year to the REF. The delay would mean submissions in 2013, with the results in 2014, to inform funding from 2015.

Wariness or consensus? Or consensus around wariness? You decide.