Evidence Synthesis—Behind the Scenes
The Royal Society and RAND Europe recently published an evidence synthesis on the impacts of ammonia emissions from agriculture on biodiversity. As well as aiming to provide a useful summary of the evidence to inform ongoing policy discussions, the study was intended to test the Royal Society's recently developed principles for good evidence synthesis for policy.
Nov 30, 2018 The Royal Society
Ammonia – Why the Big Stink?
Ammonia pollution harms human health and reduces the richness and diversity of the environment. As new policy frameworks are implemented in the UK, there is an opportunity to support farmers to make the changes necessary to reduce ammonia pollution.
Sep 18, 2018 The Royal Society
Where Next for the Digital Society?
Digital technologies are omnipresent, both in terms of where we are and what we do. A digital society can bring about economic and societal gain, but there are many challenges that need to be addressed beyond the actual technologies.
Oct 14, 2016 The RAND Blog
What Can We Learn from High-Performing Research Units?
Central characteristics of high-performing research units are the high quality of the people and the culture and values displayed within the department, which is often a result of leadership. It is also interesting to explore their differences, such as what makes a unit particularly good at having impact versus producing high-quality publications.
Jun 28, 2016 Open Forum Events
What Makes for High-Performing Research? The Right Mix of Staff and Appropriate Leadership
With many different higher education institutions in the UK covering a diverse range of disciplines, and delivering research in a variety of ways, it can be difficult to determine the qualities and characteristics of high-performing higher education institutions.
Feb 22, 2016 PolicyWonkers
Analysing 'High Performance' Research Units in Higher Education
The characteristics that are central to high performance are people—as in recruiting and retaining the best—and the culture and values within the department, coupled with the leadership displayed.
Dec 4, 2015 Open Forum Events
What's Next for REF?
In 2014, the research of 154 UK universities was evaluated, accounting for the efforts of 52,061 academic staff members. For the first time, the impact that the research had on wider society was part of the assessment. As we approach the next assessment period, there is opportunity for discussion to tweak and refine future measures of impact.
Jul 8, 2015 Open Forum Events
Three Cheers for Research Users Engaging in REF 2014
In the UK, research outputs from universities are assessed every five years to determine future funding allocations from government. In 2014, for the first time, the Research Excellence Framework included an assessment of research impact. Research users played key roles throughout the process.
Mar 31, 2015 PolicyWonkers
REF 2014 Shows That Research Impact Can Be Assessed
For the first time anywhere, the UK has allocated funding to universities according to an assessment of research impact. An evaluation of the Research Excellence Framework 2014 process reveals that it worked, allowing different types of impacts drawn from a wide range of disciplines to be compared and scored.
Mar 27, 2015 Higher Education Funding Council for England Blog
REF 2014 Impact Submissions: Part of a Cultural Shift?
The Research Excellence Framework (REF) has incentivized universities to be more focused on their contribution to society beyond academia. The inclusion of impact as a component of the REF is leading to a cultural shift in the academic sector.
Mar 27, 2015 Higher Education Funding Council for England Blog
Measuring Impact: How Australia and the UK Are Tackling Research Assessment
The UK is the first country to attempt to allocate funding based on the wider societal impact of research, and in 2012, a subset of higher education institutions in Australia ran a small-scale pilot exercise to assess impact and understand the potential challenges of the process. What can be learned by comparing the UK and Australian approaches?
Dec 8, 2014 The Guardian
Probing the Barriers to Conducting Clinical Research in Sub-Saharan Africa
Developing clinical research in sub-Saharan Africa requires a more holistic approach that considers not only individuals and institutions concerned with clinical research but also the wider health and research systems in these countries.
Sep 19, 2014 The RAND Blog
How Smart Are Our European Cities?
The urban population is expected to double by 2050, when seven out of every 10 people will live in cities. Poverty, inequality, unemployment, and energy management challenges are also expected to increase. One potential solution is the concept of the 'smart city.'
Jul 9, 2014 The RAND Blog