UK research ‘strongly aligned to Labour policy missions’

A large proportion of UK research is already closely aligned with the Labour government’s “missions”, and lawmakers rely heavily on findings to inform policy, according to a new analysis.

Publishing giant Elsevier has developed a new model that uses artificial intelligence to analyse UK research output at scale, providing data that could help universities make the case to government that research is having a real-world impact.

With ministers known to be sceptical that they are getting the most out of the country’s vast research spend – and long-running criticism that academic work struggles to translate into tangible outcomes – Elsevier said the method helps to shine a light on the UK’s research strengths, including some areas rarely in the spotlight.

The company will present the findings to vice-chancellors at the Universities UK conference at the University of Exeter on 4 September and said similar exercises could be useful for institutions to better understand their own research portfolios.

“This shows that UK researchers are already doing research that’s highly aligned with policy goals,” said Sarah Main, Elsevier’s vice president for academic and government relations.

“There’s a significant body of work there that directly relates to each of the government’s missions, and we can see through the data that it’s really valuable to policy makers.”

Using Scopus, SciVal and its new AI model, Elsevier’s study comprehensively mapped UK research publications between 2019 and 2023 on to government policy goals.

It finds that about a tenth of the research was related to the government’s goal of kick-starting economic growth, while roughly 15 per cent was related to the aim of making Britain a clean energy superpower.

The “mission” Labour dubs “taking back our streets” – related to law and order – had the lowest share of UK research publications, at just 2 per cent.

But this research was found to have the highest relevance to policymaking, judged by the number of times it was cited in government strategies and projects focused on public safety and criminal justice.

Research looking at violence against women, for example, had the highest volume of research publications, with more than 20 per cent of publications cited in policy literature.

Overall, Elsevier found that there was “prolific citation of academic publications in policy-relevant literature”, with studies cited in policy documents more often than the national average for UK research.

This shows that the studies linked to missions prove “especially valuable for policymaking”, the publisher said.

Main said the findings shone a spotlight on some of the UK’s research strengths that aren’t often given much attention, particularly in the humanities and social sciences.

It could also show the changing interests of researchers over time and how they respond to public issues, for example the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, she added.

“I think there’s value for government to look at this type of comprehensive, UK-wide analysis, to help them see the assets that they can use to better deliver their national agenda, their missions and goals for universities.”