Introduction
In the UK, Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) are specific topics or issues that the government is interested in. They are a way for government organisations to indicate that they are keen to hear research evidence or insights related to that area.
UK government departments are obliged to produce ARIs on a regular basis giving details about the main research questions they are facing. Other public sector organisations do so on a voluntary basis.
Used well, ARIs can help government departments ensure that their priorities are reflected in research and engagement budgets and activities. ARIs help external stakeholders such as funders and universities understand how they can constructively support this. ARIs can improve system functioning and connection and help deliver better public value for money.
Since 2019, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Government Office for Science (GO-Science) have supported us to maximise the value of these ARIs, by conducting action-research engaging with policy and research communities.
Our Approach
Between 2019 and 2023 Kathryn Oliver and Annette Boaz, co-founders of Transforming Evidence, spent time with government officials, Chief Scientific Advisers, academics, and funders facilitating constructive conversation about existing evidence, evidence gaps and what might address these gaps.
We have written up some of our initial reflections here. During 2021/22 we conducted interviews to explore how different groups experienced being part of our knowledge mobilisation exercise. You can find the topic guides for funders, officials, researchers and intermediaries by clicking on the links.
As the ARIs have grown in visibility and engagement, we have worked with more and more agencies to support organisations as they embark on their ARIs for the first time, seek to improve existing ARIs, or want to get better engagement from stakeholders. We have worked with the UK government and arms-length bodies, with the devolved administrations, with the Westminster and devolved Parliaments, with local governments across the UK, and with other parts of the UK public sector (such as policing bodies). Internationally, we have supported national and regional governments in the USA, Canada, Australia, and across the EU as they develop similar processes.
We continue to support public sector organisations wishing to develop or refresh ARIs, and have developed a suite of resources to help.
This is what we’ve learned so far
We've found that ARIs are an incredibly useful tool to improve conversations and prioritisation between government, funders and academia. ARIs can help policy and practice organisations develop and articulate a research strategy, engage effectively with other stakeholders including funders and researchers, and deliver better value for money from public resources. To do this as well as possible takes commitment, time and skilled work.
We have developed a suite of resources to support policy and practice organisations wishing to refresh or begin their ARI process. These resources are also designed to help funders, researchers, universities and other stakeholders learn more about what ARIs are, and how to respond to them constructively:
Common stages in the ARI process: Although there are differences in how government departments & other public sector organisations have approached ARIs, there are commonalities across all settings which make the ARIs more useful, and ensure they have more traction. This guide summarises the main stages involved in developing or refreshing ARIs.
ARIs as a mechanism to improve evidence-policy connections: This brief report sets out the origins and history of the ARIs, how policy and practice organisations are using ARIs, what helps policy and practice organisations get the most from their ARIs, and common challenges. The report also sets out a brief research and practice agenda which would help us all improve the functioning of the ARIs.
Working with ARIs: Funders, universities and researchers, intermediaries and knowledge brokers all have important roles to play in maximising the value of the ARIs. In this brief paper we summarise the ways in which these stakeholder groups can most constructively respond to the ARIs.
A systems map of the ARIs: We recognise the ARIs as a cog within a complex system, which requires input and collaboration across many different organisations to work optimally. This is our attempt (with the brilliant assistance of Studiomatica) to visualise the system overall.
If you would like tailored support in setting up your ARIs, or advice on how to get started or to use your ARIs more effectively, please get in touch with info@transforming-evidence.org.
Outputs and findings
Outputs to date include:
A searchable database of all ARIs
Oliver K, Boaz A. (2025) The Areas of Research Interest: a mechanism to improve evidence-policy/practice connections. (2025) Transforming Evidence Working Paper Series No. TE-2025-002. https//doi.10.70399/YHTI1273
A system map of the ARIs (2025)
Blog: Unlocking the value of universities for the UK: could ARIs be the key? (Dec 2023)
F1000 paper (2022): Areas of research interest: joining the dots at last?
Evidence and Policy (2023) paper: How well do the UK government's areas of research interest work as boundary objects to facilitate the use of research in policymaking?