UK universities are bracing for increased audit scrutiny as panels finalize guidance for the next Research Excellence Framework (REF 2029). The concern centers on the renamed “strategy, people and research environment” (SPRE) section, which accounts for 20% of an institution’s overall score. Panellists and subject experts are debating how to verify narrative statements describing research culture and the evidence universities will submit. With final guidance expected in autumn and about £2 billion in annual block grant funding at stake, the audit process is emerging as a key compliance pressure point. Reporting indicates the SPRE narrative format carries risk: a purely metrics-based exercise would be easier to audit but offers limited comparability, while narrative claims may invite embellishment. After a PCE pilot found institutions could not be judged fairly without imposing “significant burden” for retrospective data, the guidance team is balancing evidencing rigor with feasibility. One senior professor at a Russell Group university warned that AI-assisted “polishing” could produce submissions that look indistinguishable—raising questions about how auditors will treat similar patterns across institutions.