Here at the Hidden REF it might seem like we're always talking about not-traditionally submitted outputs (NTOs). But what is an NTO and why do we care so much about how they're assessed? Our Hidden REF community manager Lyndsey Ballantyne explains. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X19...

Why you should you nominate a colleague or submit your research to the Hidden REF Competition? Jenni Adams, one of our winners from the 2024 competition, explains how the competition is a valuable way of recognising all of the work that doesn't get recognised elsewhere in the research ecosystem.

New this year: panels will use their interpretation of the REF guidelines on originality, significance and rigour to assess outputs, meaning a competition submission is also a chance to practice writing NTO submissions that could be submitted for the REF.

Behind almost every research study is a collections specialist, data manager, technician or bit of code that never makes the paper. The Hidden REF 2026 is open & recognises exactly those outputs & roles, the ones traditional assessment leaves out. hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c...

The Hidden REF Competition launches in just 5 days! Check out how you can get involved: hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... There are 5 panels responsible for assessing Hidden REF Submissions - you can see the previous winners for each panel on the Hidden REF website.

13 days until the Hidden REF Competition opens for submissions! Check out how you can get involved: hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... There have been 13 past winners across the last two competitions - will you join that list this year?

26 days until the Hidden REF Competition kicks off! 🎉 Check out how you can get involved: hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... The last competition saw 26 submissions in the Hidden Role category - will there be more this year?

New video: What don’t we understand about the REF? The Research Excellence Framework is still evolving - and there’s still time to shape how universities interpret the guidance. Share your ideas with the Hidden REF. 📧 info@hidden-ref.org

Ola Thomson introduces the workshop strategy for finding good Heuristics to assess NTO/NTSO/DOTs

Next, Gemma Derrick on how Heuristics can be used to judge what is a quality research output @gemmaderrick.bsky.social errick.bsky.social

Liverpool are "pulling up their socks and getting on with it"! They ran their own Diverse Research Output Competition and had many more submissions than they expected.

First talk is from Natalie Wallis from the University of Liverpool about Diverse Research Outputs and the fear of changing research culture @nataliejessic10.bsky.social

Thank you to all our generous Sponsors, Research England, and everyone who is joining the fully-booked out Festival of Hidden REF over the next two days! Looking forward to all the discussions!

We're getting ready to welcome everyone to the Festival of Hidden REF at the Think Tank in Birmingham! Very excited to learn about all the interesting work people are doing and meet them in-person!

🎉 Day 1 of the Festival is officially sold out! 🎉 We do have a waitlist you can join if tickets become available 💡 Higher capacity for Day 2 - tickets are still available. 📅 Want to know what’s happening on both days and grab your ticket? Head over to our website: hidden-ref.org/the-festival...

There's only a small number of tickets left for the Festival of Hidden REF so if you are hoping to join us - be quick! hidden-ref.org/the-festival...

Congratulations again to Sarjhana Brindha, winner of the Applications of research panel in the 2024 Hidden REF Competition. Her work with the myHealthE portal stood out for its impact and innovation. Learn more about her achievement in the full story below.: lnkd.in/euWPGCG8

📢 Registration is now open 📢 Join us on 7-8 October 2025 at Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum for the second Festival of Hidden REF! Explore the indicative schedule, learn more on our website or head straight to the registration page to secure your place! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-festiv...

🎉 Exciting News! The second Festival of Hidden REF is coming to Birmingham on 7–8 October 2025! 🗓️ Save the Date 📬 Be the first to know when registration opens in mid-May (mailing list): eepurl.com/gRP24n 🔍 Find out more and see an indicative schedule: hidden-ref.org/the-festival... #HiddenRefFest

Hear from one of our 2024 competition winners below and read the full article from her institution here: www.rbht.nhs.uk/research/hid...

🏆 The Hidden REF 2024 Competition Results 🏆 (results over 6 separate posts)

🏆 The Hidden REF 2024 Competition Results 🏆 (results over 6 separate posts)

🏆 The Hidden REF 2024 Competition Results 🏆 (results over 6 separate posts)

🏆 The Hidden REF 2024 Competition Results 🏆 (results over 6 separate posts)

🏆 The Hidden REF 2024 Competition Results 🏆 (results over 6 separate posts)

🏆 The Hidden REF 2024 Competition Results 🏆 (results over 6 separate posts)

A massive Thank You to everyone who participated and supported the Hidden REF competition and campaign! We received 113 submissions in 19 categories and are now working to carefully assess your incredible contributions, as we prepare to celebrate each of these achievements.

The Hidden REF Competition is wrapping up tomorrow at 12pm, the committee is poised and ready to count your submissions This is your final chance to uncover and showcase the hidden work and roles that deserve recognition. hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... #HiddenREFcomp

⏰ 2 days left to submit ⏰ Enter the HiddenREF competition and help us uncover research outputs and roles that are vital to research but lack recognition The HiddenREF is a volunteer-led campaign to raise awareness of the variety of research. hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... #HiddenREFcomp

⏰ 4 days.. ⏰ Research success has many unsung heroes, it's time to bring them out of the shadows! The more submissions we receive, the more evidence we have to campaign for research evaluation to recognise everyone who’s vital to the conduct of research. hidden-ref.org/hidden-ref-c... #HiddenREFcomp