Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) provide a mechanism for government departments to engage with a range of researchers and apply research evidence to policy development and decision-making.
By outlining the main research questions facing government, ARIs play a role in shaping research priorities, and foster collaboration between academia and policymakers.
In 2023/2024, our New Things Fund projects focused on addressing ARIs, encouraging researchers to embed policy stakeholders into the early stages of project planning to enhance real-world impact.
Below is a list of ARIs addressed through these projects.
- ARI: Understanding the Implication of Technology (read more here)
- ARI: How can geospatial analysis and mapping help monitor trade patterns during recovery and target business support? (read more here)
- ARI: What can international best practice tell us about using data to manage the shock and recovery? (read more here)
- ARI: How can shipping and freight data be used to complement our understanding of the Rotterdam effect and trade flows international hubs? (read more here)
- ARI: In response to a trade shock, what innovative approaches to support data collection, dissemination and application can be taken, without burdening businesses and frontline staff? (read more here)
- ARI: Prevalence, location and nature of different types of modern slavery in the UK. (read more here)
- ARI: Equipping refugees for life in the UK and for returning home if/when they can. (read more here).
- ARI: Early action to prevent poor health outcomes. (read more here)
- ARI: How will future changes in technology, and the way in which workers interact with these new technologies (e.g., Artificial Intelligence, Net Zero technologies), affect the health of workers and what can be done to mitigate any work-related ill health? (read more here)
- ARI: What measures and prioritisation tools can be used to better evaluate and target cyber risks with government interventions? (read more here)
- ARI: How can innovation in chemical production, use, and disposal across the supply chain minimise chemical-related risks, benefiting the circular economy and reducing pollution? (read more here)
- Response: Towards Zero Waste in the Lab: toxic laboratory waste reduction using engineered yeast strains
- ARI: Interventions to improve the management of multiple long-term conditions (for example, how to manage side effects in polypharmacy), prevent acute events (such as heart attacks, strokes and mental health crises) and ensure effective rehabilitation after these events to reduce long-term illness and disability. (read more here)
- Response: Role of trust in eHealth prescribing for people experiencing workplace stress and mental health problems: co-developing policy for responsible and transparent eHealth promotion
- ARI: Develop new and improved monitoring and modelling approaches, incorporating systems-based considerations which better reflect real world changes (read more here)
- ARI: What are the specific health impacts of transport related particulate matter such as that caused by tyre and brake wear? Do different types of particulate pose different risks? (read more here)
- ARI: How can BDUK determine and understand what biodiversity impacts are attributable to our interventions? (read more here)
- Response: Mergers and Acquisitions: Unveiling the Biodiversity Impact of Corporate Unions
- ARI: Approaches that deter people from getting involved in cyber crime, moving deeper into cyber crime and/or reoffending (read more here)
- Response: Entrapped at knee-depth yet, struggling to survive: How to adopt systems thinking approach to help a dying small-scale lagoon fishery to face the challenge of siltation?
- ARI: How do employment support programmes contribute to DWP objectives to maximise employment and support economic growth? How can DWP best assess value for money in different labour market (read more here)
- Response: Drivers and barriers to Return-to-Work and remaining in work: experiences of older Black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi women in London
- ARI: What is the role of border adjustment mechanisms in preventing carbon leakage, and on the measurement and verification of embodied emissions in carbon-intensive goods? What are the wider macroeconomic impacts of such mechanisms? (read more here)
- Response: Designing Credible Carbon Border Adjustments To Promote Compliance
Looking for support engaging with Areas of Research Interest?
Find out more about 2023/2024 New Things Fund projects here: