Innovation and Translation

Exploring how science, technology and innovation can be translated responsibly and sustainably into collective benefits for society

Research, commentary, and events

Project
Standardising quantitative indicators of impact within REF case studies
23 Jul 2018

To inform the development of the guidance and criteria for the preparation of impact case studies in Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, we examined the case studies submitted to REF 2014 and identified quantitative indicators of impact. We then developed guidance for how these indicators could be standardised for potential use in REF 2021.
Project
Updating an Evaluation of Grant Peer Review in the Health Sciences
15 Jun 2018

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research asked RAND Europe to update the 2009 study on grant peer review to provide a more widely applicable source of evidence around the strengths and weaknesses of peer review for grant funding assessment.
Project
The potential of citizen science for research
24 May 2018

Through a rapid review of the available literature and interviews with four experts, researchers compiled a practical overview of crowdsourcing in citizen science. The report highlights the benefits of crowdsourcing, best tools to use, and best practices.
Project
Evaluating the Impact of EU R&D into PRNDs
21 Feb 2018

EU-funded research and development into poverty-related and neglected diseases has had a significant impact on strengthening research capacity in low- and middle-income countries, but its effects on encouraging universal health coverage is less clear.
Commentary
Blockchain: Should We Believe the Hype?
30 Nov 2017

Industry, governments and academics are all speculating on the ways in which blockchain could revolutionize everything from finance to the music industry. Now is the time for policymakers and industry to take note and find out what blockchain could offer.
Commentary
Driverless Cars: The Race Is On for Policy to Catch Up
27 Nov 2017

Driverless cars could be tested on Britain’s roads by 2021. While this is likely to be great news to many, the race is now on for policymaking to catch up. Why? Because driverless cars could substantially change more than just the way people travel.
Project
SBRI Healthcare Programme Helps Small Businesses Innovate for NHS
30 Oct 2017

The SBRI Healthcare programme is viewed as providing effective support for small companies to develop innovations that address NHS needs. Because some businesses have asked for more support taking innovations to the NHS, Academic Health Science Networks need clear guidance about how they could support SBRI-supported companies.
Commentary
Can Open Science Help to Make Research More Accessible?
13 Oct 2017

The leading principle of open science is that anyone, whether they are part of the research community or the public, should be able to access scientific knowledge. Free circulation of knowledge, the sharing of research results, and transparency of methodology are core tenets of the scientific method.
Project
Developing Standards for Synthetic Biology
11 Sep 2017

Researchers identified the impact the adoption of synthetic biology is likely to have on the global marketplace, as well as barriers to preventing the rapid scale-up and commercialisation of the technology.
Project
Assessing the Outputs from European Research Council-funded Projects
07 Jul 2017

RAND Europe and OST carried out a comprehensive scientometric assessment of the outputs of ERC grants – the first time that a full analysis of the ERC’s funded research has been conducted in this way.
Project
Exploring and Communicating the Value of Health Data
27 Apr 2017

Health data could provide a variety of social and economic benefits to the health system, including quality gains for both healthcare delivery and health research and innovation. However, societal and technical challenges to value capture must first be addressed.
Project
Monitoring Open Science Trends in Europe
20 Mar 2017

To track Open Science trends in Europe and identify the main drivers, incentives and constraints on its evolution, RAND Europe worked with Deloitte, Observatoire des Sciences et des Technologies (OST), Altmetric and Digital Science to develop a web-based monitor for the European Commission.
Project
Evaluating the Impact of Oxford's Biomedical Research Centre (BRC)
26 Jan 2017

RAND Europe and the Office of Health Economics evaluated the local impacts of the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre on local hospital care, research and industry.
Project
Identifying Successful Innovations in European Higher Education
23 Dec 2016

More students than ever are attending higher education, and its provision is becoming more fluid, global and competitive. Higher education institutions need to have a strategy to incorporate innovative modes of teaching and learning, as well as the management and governance of higher education.
Commentary
In a 'Post-Truth' World, Evidence and Experts Matter More Than Ever
16 Dec 2016

For policymakers and politicians, evidence should be at the heart of everything because it is crucial to the policymaking cycle. It frames what kind of questions need to be asked, what research or analysis needs to be done, what policy options can be considered, and how they should be evaluated. Put simply, we need evidence to know what works and why.