Research on Research Institute

In this new video, RoRI's Helen Buckley Woods and @jameswilsdon@mstdn.social introduce metascience, explaining why it brings together researchers, funders, policymakers and infrastructure providers: https://youtu.be/P_xv4IPveFw?si=Y6rBk-HBig99bLl8

In a new Wonkhe piece, RoRI fellows Anna Butters and @tomstafford@mastodon.online explore distributed peer review - and what it can (and can’t) fix: https://wonkhe.com/blogs/a-new-model-moves-research-in-a-more-democratic-direction-it-could-be-faster-and-fairer-too/

⚙️ New RoRI paper: AI and Reviewer Matching in Research Funding

How are funders using AI to match grant applications with reviewers? Three case studies from SNSF, Fundación “la Caixa”, and NWO explore real-world approaches and trade-offs: https://tinyurl.com/y8a6vfdn

Upcoming RoRI webinar: Do Narrative CVs really change research evaluation?

Join us on 13 January as we discuss new data from funding panels at major European funders: https://tinyurl.com/ms7bkcd9

Why do research projects sometimes end up somewhere unexpected?

In a new blog post, RoRI research fellow Josie Coburn shares findings from 21 interviews with biomedical scientists: https://researchonresearch.org/why-researchers-change-direction/

RoRI joined colleagues in Pisa to explore stronger coordination across publishing and research assessment reform: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2025/12/international-community-convenes-in-pisa-to-advance-coordinated-reform-in-publishing-and-research-assessment

@MetaROR@scicomm.xyz is now 1 year old 🎉

In our first year: 28 articles evaluated, 59 expert reviewers, most reviews published ahead of target, 9 partner journals, and growing visibility across conferences & media.

A strong start for community-owned, open peer review: https://metaror.org/metaror-turns-one/

We’ve added four new countries to RoRI’s Atlas of Assessment: Latvia 🇱🇻, Portugal 🇵🇹, the Czech Republic 🇨🇿 and Namibia 🇳🇦.

The Atlas provides an overview of how research is assessed around the world. It’s designed to help policymakers, institutional leaders and researchers compare national approaches, understand emerging trends, and support responsible assessment reform: https://researchonresearch.org/atlas/

RoRI's Helen Buckley Woods reflects on the growing push to regulate research security in response to geopolitical tensions, sharing insights from the European Flagship Conference on Research Security: https://researchonresearch.org/research-security-meets-open-science/

The Atlas of Assessment maps national research evaluation systems worldwide 🌍 - freely available here: https://researchonresearch.org/atlas/

Curated by RoRI with input from policymakers and funders in 13 countries, it helps researchers and leaders explore trends, compare systems, and see how different nations assess research.

We’re always adding more countries - if yours isn’t on the map yet, get in touch!

European grant applications are at record highs, success rates below 10%: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03119-z?utm_source=Live+Audience&utm_campaign=948c466975-nature-briefing-daily-20251017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-33f35e09ea-51720808

Time to rethink how we fund, assess and support research - not just increase competition.

32% of peer reviewers now use AI tools.

RoRI’s Wolfgang Kaltenbrunner and Denis Newman-Griffis discuss the rise of AI in peer review and why it may be a “sticking plaster” for deeper systemic problems: https://www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-world-2025-10-ai-in-peer-review-where-to-draw-the-line/

🌟 RoRI is growing! We’re delighted to welcome nine new colleagues across UCL and CWTS (Leiden University), strengthening our work in metascience, AI, research assessment, and science policy.

Read more about our new team members and their work here: https://researchonresearch.org/rori-welcomes-nine-new-researchers/

“When there’s so much misinformation around and distrust about science, it’s more important than ever that we are transparent about how exactly science goes on” - RoRI's @StephenCurry@mstdn.social calls on the research sector to end the “publication bias” against negative results: https://www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-world-2025-10-research-funders-urged-to-drive-culture-shift-on-negative-results/

Australia’s universities are rethinking how they assess learning and research in the age of AI.

The Australian reports that AI “cheats” are almost impossible to detect - and RoRI partner Australian Research Council is reviewing its AI policy for grant assessment.

Read more(£): https://tinyurl.com/3tzfvvpk

“Using metrics to assess researchers can be ‘very dodgy terrain,’” says @jameswilsdon@mstdn.social

Great overview of how research assessment is changing worldwide in @nature@sciencemastodon.com , featuring recent work by RoRI with the Global Research Council: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02498-7

At our UCL seminar, ESRC Exec Chair Stian Westlake said UKRI’s analytic capacity is “pretty limited” and “geared towards compliance need.” Better use of data will be key for stronger investment decisions and to act as the UK’s “strategic brain” for R&D: https://www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-research-councils-2025-10-senior-leader-laments-ukri-s-limited-analytical-capability/

🧠 Does STI policy need a strategic brain?

Join us in person at UCL on Tuesday 30 Sep for a timely discussion with @stianwestlake@bird.makeup, Executive Chair of UKRI 's Economic and Social Research Council.

Places are limited, so book now: https://tinyurl.com/vekzka23

The peer review system is broken - a different approach is needed 💡

Kathryn Zeiler, @stephenpinfield@mstdn.social and @LudoWaltman@social.cwts.nl write in
@ConversationUK@flipboard.com about how increased transparency in the review process could speed scientific progress: https://theconversation.com/the-peer-review-system-no-longer-works-to-guarantee-academic-rigour-a-different-approach-is-needed-244092

RoRI's Moumita Koley and @jameswilsdon@mstdn.social spoke on advancing Open Research through Metascience at the latest ICOR public meeting.

🔬 Moumita: Research assessment in India, challenges of traditional metrics, case studies from health & education.

🔍 James: The rise of open science & the UK Metascience Unit, with a look ahead to the Metascience 2025 Conference in London.

Read the summary & watch the full recording here: https://incentivizingopen.org/2024/10/advancing-open-research-through-metascience-2/

Check out this news story from @nature@sciencemastodon.com about our Distributed Peer Review project, led by Dr. Hanna Denecke @xplanatorium@beta.birdsite.live working with RoRI Researchers @tomstafford@mastodon.online @stephenpinfield@mstdn.social and Anna Butters: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03106-w

The social sciences act as a ‘secret sauce’ in wider recipes for R&D, says RoRI's
@jameswilsdon@mstdn.social 🌶️ 🔥

New report published by UK’s Academy of Social Sciences & Sage Publishing highlights the importance of social science to UK research and innovation: https://researchonresearch.org/restoring-the-social-sciences-to-their-rightful-place/