Innovation and Translation

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

Research, commentary, and events

Multimedia
Expert Insights: Future Uses of Space
14 Jul 2022

In this Expert Insights podcast, James Black and Linda Slapakova discuss the potential uses of space out to 2050, ranging from defence, manufacturing, climate protection, and tourism.
Commentary
Microbiome-Based Health and Wellness Innovation
06 Jul 2022

Microbiome research and development may lead to an increasing number of therapeutic and well-being breakthroughs. But regulating microbiota-related products poses a challenge that could require innovative approaches.
Commentary
Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion in Health Care Innovation
06 Jul 2022

For health care innovations to have the fairest and broadest possible benefit to society, efforts could be made to attend to all stages of the innovation pathway to identify opportunities to mitigate biases through diversity, equality, and inclusion.
Project
Exploring the opportunities and challenges of research engagement with China
22 Jun 2022

An independent and evidence-based study into UK academics' research engagement with China explored how and why UK academics engage with China on joint research activities with the goal of better understanding how UK research organisations manage any resulting risks.
Commentary
When IT Meets Medical Innovation: Regulatory and Policy Challenges for Software as a Medical Device
10 Jun 2022

The demand for using software to improve health care, including software as a medical device (SaMD), is on the rise. Realizing the potential benefits of the growing demand for SaMD may require clearer and more-consistent regulation of patient safety and medical effectiveness.
Project
The impact of predictive genetic tests on the insurance industry
08 Apr 2022

Researchers developed a framework for evaluating the potential effects of predictive genetic tests on the UK insurance industry. The framework provides a transparent approach for evaluating whether a specific condition for which a test is available could impact the insurance industry and understanding the key factors that influence this.
Essay
The Digital Skills Gap: What Workers Need for the Jobs of the Future
01 Mar 2022

Business leaders have warned for years that what they see on job applications does not match what they need in new employees. There are not enough workers with the right digital skills. And as the world economy struggles to its feet after COVID-19, that skills gap threatens to keep pushing it down.
Project
Examining proposal evaluation processes used in Horizon 2020
03 Feb 2022

Broadly speaking, proposal evaluation processes in Horizon 2020 were fair and transparent. However, there may be scope to improve consistency and the feedback provided, and to reduce the burden and conservatism of the process.
Multimedia
The Global Digital Skills Gap
14 Jan 2022

Increasing digitalisation has changed the nature of work, making digital skills an essential attribute for the modern workforce. However, the demand for digital skills is outpacing the supply, creating a global digital skills 'gap'. RAND Europe researchers Salil Gunashekar and Carolina Feijao discuss what is driving the digital skills gap and how organisations could address the issue.
Commentary
The Future of REF: Driving a Culture to Maximise High-Quality Research and Impact
14 Dec 2021

RAND Europe studied the attitudes of the UK’s research community towards the Research Excellence Framework. Through surveys, interviews and focus groups, the study team was able to gain valuable insight into researcher views across disciplines, career stages and types of institutions.
Project
Assessing POCT for infectious disease surveillance, prevention and control
02 Dec 2021

Researchers examined the availability of point-of-care testing (POCT) devices to diagnose 56 communicable diseases and related health issues under EU surveillance — not including COVID-19 — and mapped trends in the use of POCT in Europe.
Project
Making outcome-based payment a reality in the NHS: Phase 2
23 Nov 2021

To prepare for the implementation of a pilot scheme to pay for cancer drugs based on achieved outcomes, researchers addressed issues identified in the first phase of research, such as the quality and completeness of real-world data on key patient outcomes.
Multimedia
The Future of Research Assessments
17 Sep 2021

How do researchers expect the types of research they produce to change in the next 5 to 10 years? In this Expert Insights podcast, Catriona Manville and Susan Guthrie discuss the future of the research landscape and how changes may affect the nature of research assessment in the UK.
Commentary
The Implications for Human Rights in the Digital Age
03 Sep 2021

As society relies more and more on digital technologies, there are growing implications for human rights and individuals' fundamental freedoms—both positive and negative.
Project
Evaluating the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund
23 Aug 2021

RAND Europe, with the support of Frontier Economics, is leading a four-year independent evaluation of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, building on evaluations of each of the ISCF Challenges to examine the impact of the ISCF as a whole.