Introduction
Peer review is a critical part of enabling UKRI to deliver our vision for an outstanding research and innovation system in which everyone can participate and from which everyone benefits by supporting the best research and innovation projects. This ensures we are delivering the most value from the UK taxpayers’ money by funding the best research and innovation. You can read more from Ottoline Leyser and Guy Poppy in their blogs.
In 2023 UKRI published the Review of Peer Review which brings together evidence about what works and what doesn’t in peer review.
As well as recognising the importance of peer review, we are also aware of the challenges in this space. We are continually looking for ways to improve the effectiveness of the policies and processes that we utilise to conduct peer review. This includes piloting innovative peer review methods and engaging with the research and innovation community to understand how we can make improvements to meet their needs. The review of peer review report provides an evidence base and a starting point for this.
Special interest group
We will develop a special interest group for expert review and assessment across the organisation. This will bring together leads from across UKRI’s policy, research culture and funding operations to share experience, learn from pilots and innovative approaches and to capture that learning for UKRI and the wider community in general. The group will hold a close relationship with the Metascience Unit.
Generative AI
To recognise the rapidly developing nature of the research and innovation sector and the increased use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools UKRI has launched our policy on the use of generative AI in application and assessment. This policy sets out UKRI’s position on the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) during the funding application and assessment process, highlighting the important role our assessors play in maintaining the confidentiality of the ideas that applicants have entrusted to UKRI to safeguard.
Innovative approaches
We are considering how to address other interventions outlined within the Review of Peer Review including UKRI’s approaches to managing demand and have been doing significant community engagement on this topic. We are also looking at our future feedback provision and UKRI’s approach to assessment. One of the innovative approaches to peer review we are exploring is the greater use of partial randomisation, which NERC has been using and recently been trialled on the UKRI cross research council responsive mode pilot scheme. This commitment to considering innovative approaches within assessment is also reiterated in the government response to the Independent Review of Research Bureaucracy and builds on UKRI’s track record of trialling new approaches.
Simpler and Better Funding Programme
This work will build on changes already made by the Simpler and Better Funding Programme including:
- a single, streamlined application with fewer attachments
- an application layout which is closely aligned to assessment criteria
- applicant guidance which is visible to reviewers
- providing a review request containing a summary of the application, where you can accept or decline the invite without signing in to the UKRI Funding Service
- no more reviewer forms, and instead a single text box for reviewers to structure their comments
- an overall assessment score
- a dashboard overview to better manage reviews and deadlines
Critical to success
Expert reviewers are critical to ensuring the success of UKRI’s research and innovation system and we appreciate and value the time and energy that experts commit to undertaking peer review activities. Their commitment to peer review is the reason the UK spends money on research and innovation as well as it does.