Deadline approaching 😊

Challenging and incisive report from the Transforming Evidence team on what needs to change in health R&D in the UK. Well worth reading. It's at transforming-evidence.org/resources/op...

Come along tomorrow to LSHTM, Keppel Street or online to hear me talk about why we do research, why it's not used, and how we might engineer the system to get better value for all of us... www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/e...

We're pleased to have launched a funding round that will test 'Research Evidence Mobilisation' approaches - methods for supporting leaders to engage with and apply evidence to classroom practice. This blog gives some context around why. Closing date 5th November.

@transformevidence.bsky.social has put out a new report on how to optimise the value of the UK's clinical research system , commissioned by CRUK, accompanying @crukpolicy.bsky.social summary below transforming-evidence.org/projects/opt... With @abudur.bsky.social and @annetteboaz.bsky.social

Please join me in congratulating Woman on her appointment

Is research really worth it? Come and hear what I think about why we do what we do. www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/e...

Congratulations to all MoJ on their latest ARIs! www.gov.uk/government/p...

Come and hear me talk about myself! Amongst other things. October 22nd, John Snow Lecture Theatre, 5.15-6.15 www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/e...

Quick google to check the date of Ann Oakley's famous paper on Who's Afraid of the RCT? (1989 if you're interested). AI living up to its rep here

Please join us on Tuesday 9th Sep at LSHTM for a seminar with Professor Mel Craike on what universities can do as organisations to maximise social impact. Should be a good discussion! Bring your lunch in person or see you online! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/building-i...

The adulation of Stokes! Honestly. A theist is unable to set a test their god can fail.

Am I being dim or is the allegedly live TMS link actually playing the post-tea session yesterday? www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Interesting bit of research from @ersatzben.bsky.social suggesting QR funding is really critical for supporting interdisciplinary research johnsonb.substack.com/p/what-actua...

Big piece on how the UK is not getting the data it needs and how this is affecting policymaking. A key issue seems to be that the shift from surveys to admin data has not worked well as govt departments have not allowed the ONS access to the data it needs on.ft.com/3WSCN6h

Great to hear Angela talk about the huge strategic potential of ARIs to help research funders and researchers understand how to support government. Citing our work on the ARI database ari.org.uk and our analysis of the content/matching with UKRI grant activity papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Great to have Dame Angela McLean speaking about the humanities and social sciences in policymaking. ‘All problems in the end are human centred problems’

Lots of discussion of the Areas of Research Interest at #HSRUK and #Metascience2025 this week - if they're new to you check out the database which brings together uk gov ARIs ari.org.uk and our new 5m video guide on how to make the most of them m.youtube.com/watch?v=K5ok...

Curious about the Areas of Research Interest but not sure where to start? See our new 5m video to explain what they are and how to use them m.youtube.com/watch?v=K5ok...

@paulcairney.bsky.social I started watching fringe. What a rollercoaster

'The challenge of sowing seeds of academic-policy engagement' The latest from the Evidence & Policy Blog, by @petramakela.bsky.social, @annetteboaz.bsky.social & @oliver-kathryn.bsky.social evidenceandpolicyblog.co.uk/2025/05/21/t... @bupjournals.bsky.social @djmallinson.bsky.social

New from Evidence & Policy, with #OpenAccess: 'The Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE) programme in England: a mixed methods evaluation' by @petramakela.bsky.social, @annetteboaz.bsky.social & @oliver-kathryn.bsky.social doi.org/10.1332/1744... @bupjournals.bsky.social

Very pleased to say we have new resources available for anyone interested in starting, refreshing or learning about the Areas of Research Interest, all available here: transforming-evidence.org/projects/are...

Oh dear @theguardian.com. Sexism as ever the acceptable prejudice

New from Evidence & Policy, with #OpenAccess: 'The Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE) programme in England: a mixed methods evaluation' by @petramakela.bsky.social, @annetteboaz.bsky.social & @oliver-kathryn.bsky.social doi.org/10.1332/1744... @bupjournals.bsky.social

Very pleased to say we have new resources available for anyone interested in starting, refreshing or learning about the Areas of Research Interest, all available here: transforming-evidence.org/projects/are...

Where does research get made? Who gets to make it? And what evidence does this create? 🎙️ Geoff Marsh takes a deep dive with @oliver-kathryn.bsky.social and @gemmaderrick.bsky.social in this podcast episode "Making #Evidence" ▶️ transforming-evidence.org/resources/tr...

Cambridge University is looking for 2 Assistant Professors in Public Policy to work in the Faculty of Human, Social, & Political Science, starting August 2025. Scholars with research & teaching experience in public policy are encouraged to apply by 10 March 2025. www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/50248/

Must-read from the founders of @retractionwatch.com - about 85% of science is research waste, less than 50% of preclinical cancer research is replicable, and predatory publishers thrive: science has a serious quality control problem, and we're all in trouble. www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...

Sloan Foundation/UKRI postdoc on metascience and AI. For researchers in the social sciences & humanities who are interested in building a career in understanding the implications of AI for the science & research ecosystem. sloan.org/programs/dig...

It will always blows my mind that so many people working in Higher Education have little or no interest in how the sausage machine actually works

True story: a few years ago, I was being interviewed by a reporter for the New York Times. I mentioned the history of eviction statutes and how they tied into Jim Crow. The reporter asked "what's Jim Crow?" When I explained, the reporter didn't believe me and said the US wouldn't do that.

Levelling the field of academic-policy engagement? What we learnt from the evaluation of CAPE. 💡 promising approaches 🔄 mechanisms and processes 🤝🏼 supporting stakeholder inclusion @oliver-kathryn.bsky.social @annetteboaz.bsky.social @petramakela.bsky.social https://transforming-evidence.org/…

Some personal news, as the kids say... www.nihr.ac.uk/people/profe...

Senior post at LSHTM closes in 2 days (31st Jan). Do apply if you want to lead/join a department focussed on infectious disease epi and dynamics. Unrelated: the UK doesn’t have executive orders.

So much of great practice leadership is about addressing siloes & creating connection across system boundaries. We’re now offering a leadership development programme for colleagues *across both* children’s & adults services. We are always #BetterTogether www.researchinpractice.org.uk/all/news-vie...

Boy, it’s a good thing science isn’t political

For new arrivals - civil servants or those interested in the civil service go.bsky.app/PFA8PcZ

Ouch

This story is always framed as if it's about lazy employees. Experience tells me it's about employers seeing the benefits to them of not providing facilities & offloading this onto their employees. I know of not 1 UK university that's provided lecturers with headsets & office equipment for home. 3/

Great to see @oliver-kathryn.bsky.social's perspective here: www.timeshighereducation.com/depth/will-rise-and-rise-policy-institutes-crack-impact-ceiling

Ebeneezer Scrooge. Arthur Dent. Jeff Lebowksi. Kevin from Time Bandits. Here’s to the heroes in dressing gowns who find themselves unexpectedly in a genre story.

Our co-founder @oliver-kathryn.bsky.social explains the origins of Transforming Evidence and how our work can help us 'listen to each other’s stories, and write new ones together' Happy holidays all! https://buff.ly/3VNlHpP

It’s all true. Get in touch if you’re interested. We’re looking for STS brilliance.

Very excited to share that our new article is out! One key idea we have put forward is a standardized reporting framework for funders to use when reporting RIA, to improve the transparency of methods and data used in impact assessments and get better value out of RIAs.

Lovely to have a second PhD article out from @abudur.bsky.social - just in time for the hols. How do funders do and report their impact assessments? What data and methods do they use? Read more here £0 academic.oup.com/rev/article/...

Love that a funder has set up a 'boring fund' to fund the boring stuff such as maintaining existing technology that no one ever funds but is essential for impact. (Even better - just fund core costs) wildlabs.net/funding-oppo... (HT Tom Steinberg who I don't think is here yet)

But please dont share this as a mantra for success. If your success comes at the direct expense of your colleagues because they are doing all the work everyone is supposed to share in, it does not make you ‘successful’ it just makes you a horrible colleague. Also see peer review Rant over. For now