RoRI announces new partners and a new project

RoRI aims to unlock more of the potential of the US$2.5 trillion invested globally in research every year. By turning the tools of research back on itself, RoRI generates data and analysis to improve how we fund, practice, evaluate and communicate research.

New partners

RoRI’s work programme is determined by its Partnership Board, made up of representatives of its Core Partners.

We are delighted to announce that four new Core Partners have recently joined the Board: The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, based in San Francisco, and three Canadian partners: The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC); Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); and Michael Smith Health Research BC (Health Research BC).

This raises the total of RoRI’s Core Partners to fifteen. Announcing their partnership, Theodore Hodapp, Programme Director for Science at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, said:

“In the words of our founder, Gordon Moore, ‘Scientific methodology should be a cornerstone of nearly all of the Foundation’s efforts.’ To ensure this philosophy is carried forward, we are proud to be joining RoRI in pursuing research that informs grantmaking both for ourselves and others.”

Ted Hewitt, President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, said:

“In a rapidly changing world, research on research provides crucial insights into how best to fund, communicate, and evaluate research. SSHRC is excited both to learn about and share best practices across disciplines and funding agencies and to engage with RoRI as it advances its mission to strengthen the research ecosystem.”

New project: AFIRE

Through its flagship projects, RoRI brings together partners and people who want to change research for the better. 

We are delighted to announce a tenth project that is now underway as part of this second phase of RoRI’s work – AFIRE: Accelerator For Innovation & Research Funding Experimentation.

Interest in experiments with research funding and evaluation is growing, but different research funders are at different stages of readiness. AFIRE will provide a broad platform which is accessible to funders at all levels of engagement, combined with structured support to increase the speed, scale and ambition of their experimental initiatives.

AFIRE will consolidate and extend RoRI’s role as a leading broker for research funding experimentation. The project will be led by Tom Stafford, senior research fellow at RoRI and professor of cognitive science at the University of Sheffield, in partnership with Albert Bravo-Biosca and team at the Innovation Growth Lab (IGL). Speaking about plans for AFIRE, Tom Stafford said:

“Good funder experiments take rigour and imagination. It’s exciting to be part of a project which is able to draw on both, from across the RoRI network of expertise. Together we’ll be able to support more experiments and better use of experimental evidence to improve research funding.”

Expanding core team

RoRI’s operations are coordinated by a small core team, based at UCL in London, who manage a network of researchers and collaborators across our partner organisations. 

We were recently joined by Geanina Beres as Communications and Impact Manager, and Leo Garbutt as Administration and Events Coordinator.

Deborah Farmer will soon join the team as Head of Operations, followed by Amanda Kvarven as Research Fellow in Metascience.

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