Islamabad

Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission (HEC), in collaboration with the British Council, has finalised a Research Excellence Framework (REF) aimed at strengthening research quality, governance and real-world impact across the country’s universities.

The framework was concluded following a five-day consultative workshop involving experts from the University of Sussex, as Pakistan moves toward a more transparent, accountable and internationally aligned research evaluation system, officials said.

Modeled on global best practices, the REF is designed to assess universities across three key areas: research quality, institutional environment, and societal impact. The initiative seeks to align Pakistani higher education institutions with international research standards while ensuring publicly funded research delivers measurable socio-economic benefits.

Under the plan, the REF will initially be piloted in 10 selected universities before a nationwide rollout. During the pilot phase, HEC will refine assessment criteria with a particular focus on research outputs and real-world impact, officials said, to ensure Pakistan’s academic contributions remain globally competitive.

The development of the REF has been carried out under the Pak-UK Education Gateway, a bilateral initiative aimed at deepening cooperation in higher education and research.

HEC officials described the framework as a significant milestone in reforming Pakistan’s research ecosystem, noting that it is expected to improve accountability, strengthen institutional governance and maximise the impact of publicly funded research.