Evaluating the UK government's COVID-19 research stabilisation interventions

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What is the issue?

On 23rd March 2020, the UK government announced the country’s first COVID-19 lockdown, ordering people to stay at home. To support the UK government’s response to the pandemic, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) launched a series of policy interventions to address the causes and consequences of the pandemic.

While the interventions were varied in their nature and aims, several focused on stabilising the research and innovation system, as the pandemic significantly impacted the activities of the research sector in the UK. These interventions targeted universities and wider research organisations, including researchers and businesses involved in research and innovation.

How did we help?

UKRI and BEIS commissioned RAND Europe and Vitae to evaluate the COVID-19 research stabilisation interventions. The evaluation consisted of the following components:

Process Evaluation: This assessed how effectively BEIS and UKRI designed and delivered the various policies to stabilise the research sector and how they were received by the research community; the scope, nature and distribution of support provided; and the way in which the support provided by the stabilisation interventions was used by universities and research organisations.
Early Impact Evaluation: This captured emerging early evidence regarding the impact of the stabilisation interventions and explored the extent to which the interventions have achieved their intended aims of supporting and stabilising the research system.
Impact Framework: This framework proposed the longer-term indicators of impact facilitated through these interventions and the feasibility and potential methods of data collection.

We undertook the evaluation using a combination of primary and secondary data by using national data compendiums like the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and conducted a series of interviews, focus groups and a sector survey.

What did we find?

The UK government’s intervention packages during the pandemic were timely and essential, providing much-needed support to research organisations. These interventions helped sustain critical research, prevent redundancies and mitigate research deficits. Their design benefitted from stakeholder engagement and institutional expertise but faced challenges such as conflicting datasets and slowed processes due to diverse stakeholder input. Despite time pressures impacting design and communication, expedited approvals enabled rapid implementation. Innovations like the SURE fund showcased cross-government coordination, but revealed areas for improvement, such as better targeting to beneficiary needs. Light-touch monitoring reduced bureaucracy but limited data collection on impacts. Flexibility in fund use was valued, though further adaptability was desired. Interventions like the World Class Laboratories fund supported research continuity by upgrading infrastructure. Despite reduced research collaboration, initiatives like Costed Grant Extensions positively impacted innovation activities.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) considerations were integrated in later phases, benefiting vulnerable groups. However, interventions only partially mitigated EDI-related challenges, such as increased burdens on women and carers. Recommendations include improving stakeholder engagement, increasing spending autonomy and designing interventions with EDI and adaptability in mind. Future policymaking should balance existing research continuity with crisis-specific needs, fostering better preparedness and sector-wide resilience.