REF impact case studies: how did Arthritis Research UK funding contribute?

Published by Arthritis Research UK on 14 August 2015

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 introduced an assessment of impact into the wider assessment of the quality of research undertaken in UK Higher Education Institutions. Institutions were required to submit impact case studies to demonstrate the impact of their research. Impact was defined as “effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia.”

Using the online REF impact case study database, we found 94 case studies potentially relevant to musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. By searching the case study database and contacting our researchers, we have identified 37 impact cases studies to which Arthritis Research UK funding has contributed; thus, our funding contributed to almost 40% of REF impact case studies in the MSK field. This is likely to be an underestimate since researchers were not required to indicate the source(s) of funding for the research underpinning the impact. 

The case studies covered a range of MSK conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, back pain, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, and psoriatic arthritis. The resulting impacts were similarly diverse, including: developing new treatments, increasing early access to treatment, improving health outcomes and cost-effectiveness of primary care, and developing new joint replacement techniques. For more details you can download a full list of impact case studies (PDF 249KB) to which Arthritis Research UK funding contributed.

If you submitted an impact case study to REF 2014 that our funding contributed to but it isn’t included in the list, please get in touch with us at researchliaison@arthritisresearchuk.org.

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