Evidencing the economic, societal, and scientific benefits of UK Research and Innovation

UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) plays a central role in shaping the UK’s research and innovation system. Through nine councils and more than £8 billion of annual public investment, UKRI supports discovery research, talent development, business innovation, and the infrastructure and networks that underpin long‑term economic and societal prosperity. While existing monitoring and evaluation processes capture extensive programme‑level outputs and impacts, they do not yet provide a coherent, system‑wide picture of the economic, societal, and scientific value generated by UKRI’s combined activities.

This IRC project was commissioned to address that gap by exploring alternative ways of evidencing UKRI’s value. The ambition was not to produce a single headline return‑on‑investment figure, but to examine how different methodological approaches might better capture the breadth, depth, and long‑term nature of UKRI’s contribution. The focus was on methodological experimentation and learning, intended to inform future evaluation practice and stimulate further debate.

Four complementary papers were commissioned, each offering a distinct perspective on how UKRI’s value might be assessed. Together, they span top‑down and bottom‑up approaches; system‑level and grant‑level analysis; and economic, societal and scientific dimensions of impact. The contributions explore how theories of change, system mapping and administrative data can be combined with established econometric techniques, alongside self‑reported and qualitative evidence, to build a richer and more credible evidence base. Rather than advocating a single method, the papers highlight trade‑offs between feasibility, rigour and coverage, and the potential value of combining approaches.

The work was brought together through a successful UKRI‑hosted roundtable, convening the academics, evaluation experts, and interested stakeholders. The discussion tested assumptions, compared frameworks, and surfaced practical challenges and opportunities for future exploration. The exchange reinforced the value of methodological plurality and highlighted areas where further development, data linkage, and collaboration could significantly strengthen how UKRI’s value is understood and articulated.

The papers provide a foundation for continued engagement on how the impacts of large‑scale research and innovation systems can be evidenced more effectively. Readers are encouraged to explore the reports in full, reflect on their implications, and engage with the IRC’s ongoing programme of work in this area.

Commissioned Papers:  

​IRC Insight Paper 011 UKRI Economy Society Science by Chris Dimos

IRC Insight Paper 012 An Integrated Approach to Estimating the Impact of UKRI by Adam Brown

IRC Insight Paper 013 Evidencing the Economic, Societal, Scientific Benefits of UK Research and  Innovation by Enrico Vanino

IRC Insight Paper 014 Methodological Possibilities for Capturing UKRI Value: The Core research Council Case by Marc Cowling

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