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      Matthew

      A study of cumulative advantages in funding allocation

      Narratives

      The uses and evaluation of researchers’ narrative CVs

      GRAIL

      Getting responsible about AI and machine learning in research funding and evaluation

      Funder Data Platform

      A Secure Collaboration Hub for Metascience

      AGORRA

      A global observatory of responsible research assessment

      Undisciplined

      Future models of funding and evaluating transdisciplinary research

      Criteria

      Exploring research funding

      Peer Review

      RoRI Atlas of Peer Review

      Portfolios

      Research funding landscape analysis

      MetaROR

      A platform for open peer review of metaresearch

      AFIRE

      Accelerator For Innovation & Research Funding Experimentation
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Resources

Through articles, reports, working papers, experiments and practical tools, RoRI aims to supply the evidence and data that people and organisations need to change research for the better. All RoRI publications and resources are openly available to everyone.

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Projects

Find out about our flagship current projects for 2023 to 2024 and our pilot projects from 2019 to 2022.

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About

At its heart, research on research is about ensuring that we have the evidence we need to realise the full potential of research.

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About

At its heart, research on research is about ensuring that we have the evidence we need to realise the full potential of research.

Research on research (RoR) — known in different contexts as meta-research, meta-science, or the science of science — draws on a rich blend of old and new disciplinary and methodological approaches to test, evaluate and experiment with different aspects of research systems, cultures and decision-making. 

It aims to ensure that R&D resources are invested wisely and effectively: that priorities are identified, funding is allocated, results are disseminated and outcomes are measured in ways that are rigorous, transparent, fair and informed by evidence of what works. 

At its heart, research on research is about ensuring that we have the evidence we need to realise the full potential of research. It’s about using a mix of methods to test interventions and to generate and analyse data about the inner workings of the research system, and the impacts that research has in and on society.

Introducing the Research on Research Institute

Large amounts of time, effort and money that are spent on research could be wasted if research systems aren’t as efficient, impactful and fair as they could be.

Over the past decade, engagement with Research on Research (RoR) has intensified. Policymakers want to make use of these methods to ensure the effective design and operation of R&D systems. Funders are keen to better understand the impacts of their investments and to experiment with novel approaches to allocation and evaluation. 

Publishers are looking to anticipate and influence further shifts in scholarly communication and models of peer review. Researchers themselves are increasingly producing and using evidence to inform and influence improvements within the institutions and cultures they work in.

Recognising the need for greater capacity and connectivity across RoR, Wellcome Trust, Digital Science, and the universities of Leiden and Sheffield joined forces to launch the Research on Research Institute (RoRI) in 2019.

Find out more about our People

“When the RoRI founding partners met for the first time in London, we knew we had a bold vision: to transform the way that research is funded, communicated and evaluated. This vision would only be possible if we worked together with strategic partners around the world to create a trusted and collaborative environment where partners could openly share, experiment and take risks.”

Dr Chonnettia Jones, Executive Director, Addgene and Co-Founder of RoRI

Mission and Objectives

RoRI was founded in 2019 by a group of researchers, funders and data providers with a mission to accelerate transformative research on research systems, cultures and decision-making. 

RoRI translates ideas and evidence into practical, real-world solutions. We gather evidence and data, undertake experiments and develop tools to improve how research is funded, practised, communicated and evaluated. 

Through five objectives, we are building a community of people who want to change research for the better:

  • Research
    We support and build capacity for transdisciplinary, international and mixed-method research on research.
  • Translation
    We connect academic research on research capabilities to the data and analytical resources of our partners.
  • Innovation
    With our partners, we experiment, co-produce and test new tools, indicators, methods and evaluation frameworks.
  • Brokerage
    We accelerate the translation and engagement with research on research data and evidence by research communities and decision-makers
  • Facilitation
    We create a supportive space for exchange, networking, codesign and collaboration between researchers, funders, policymakers, publishers, data and infrastructure providers.

Open Research Policy

RoRI is committed to open research as an important enabler of our mission to accelerate transformative research on research systems, cultures and decision-making. Read our Open Research Policy here.

About us

RoRI's mission is to accelerate transformational research on research systems, cultures and decision-making.

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