Universities Scotland is pleased to partner with the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) in publishing a new report today (Tuesday 24 March) which focuses on the role of research in developing strong, evidence-led policy making and sets out a case to make Scotland an ideal “test-bed” for research-policy exchange (RPE).
The report, Research Policy Exchange in Scotland, looks at the crucial role that research (from universities, government, think tanks and others) has in supporting policy decisions, especially in complex and risky areas such as climate change, economic growth, child poverty, technological change, or global order. The report argues that Scotland has the assets needed to build a truly cohesive approach to RPE, but found different and sometimes conflicting motivations between actors for doing this kind of activity. Lack of alignment can be an obstacle.
Research-Policy Exchange helps to:
- Identify problems and solutions
- Develop and refine policy
- Substantiate decisions with evidence
- Strengthen Government credibility
- Build alliances within the research and policy ecosystem.
Positively, the report finds that there has been a step change in both the volume and quality of RPE activities across the UK and in Scotland over the last 20 years. The focus on evidence-based policymaking in government and the impact agenda in higher education has galvanised investment in a range of RPE structures.
Examples of RPE involving Scotland’s universities, which have supported effective policy-making across a range of public sector issues, include:
- An Edinburgh Napier University-led study provided evidence to support the use of Naloxone nasal spray by Police Scotland officers as immediate first aid to counter the effects of overdose from opioids such as heroin before the arrival of ambulance services to offer emergency first aid. As of May 2024, over 520 Naloxone-based interventions have taken place, with many lives saved.
- Research undertaken by Scottish Centre for Employment Research (SCER) at the University of Strathclyde on job quality and workplace partnership established an evidence base to guide policy and practice in the Working Together Review. It later drove the establishment of an independent Fair Work Convention and underpinned the development of the Scottish Government’s Fair Work Framework.
- Research from the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Digital Education helped enhance digital literacy within the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) and has informed both curricular change and professional learning for teachers, reaching 51,000 teachers and over 600,000 pupils in all 2,514 state primary and secondary schools across Scotland. Updates to the Technology curriculum now include computer science as a distinct area of learning, future proofing the curriculum and ensuring it reflects rapid and ongoing changes in digital technology taking place within society.
The report notes that Scotland has considerable potential to leverage its interconnectivity, small scale, and collaborative potential to become a real test-bed for highly effective research policy exchange. It offers a series of recommendations intended to support the continued growth and impact of RPE in Scotland and to ensure that in a time of constrained resources, Scotland’s considerable investment in RPE is wisely allocated.
The report’s 4 key recommendations are to:
- Tailor engagement: Understand the different motivations of parties involved in RPE. Design engagement to meet these needs effectively, ensuring alignment with policy priorities through tools like areas of research interest (ARIs).
- Collaborate: Reduce fragmentation and inefficiencies by integrating RPE activities and synthesising research across institutions. Ensure that funding schemes incentivise collaboration.
- Build capacity: Conduct audits to identify gaps in RPE capacity across SG priorities. Leverage secondments and fellowships to extend benefits across the research community.
- Reward RPE: Recognise and incentivise researchers’ contributions to policy. Ensure diverse voices are included in RPE, emphasising long-term and diffuse impacts of research.
The full report, Research Policy Exchange Scotland is available for download as published by the RSE.