Research on Research Institute (RoRI) launches to make research morestrategic, open, diverse and inclusive
London, UK - 30 September 2019 Today, we’re proud to announce the launch of theResearch on Research Institute (RoRI) – an international consortium of research funders,
academic institutions and technologists working to champion the latest approaches toresearch on research.
Co-founded by the Wellcome Trust, the universities of Sheffield and Leiden, and Digital
Science, the RoRI consortium will undertake transformative and translational research onresearch (also known as meta-research, science of science or meta-science). By analysing
research systems and experimenting with decision and evaluation data, tools andframeworks, we aim to advance more strategic, open, diverse and inclusive research.
RoRI will be based for an initial two-year incubation phase at Wellcome’s offices in London.
To date, fourteen strategic partners have confirmed their interest in becoming part of theRoRI consortium, including private foundations and public funding agencies from ninecountries – Austria, Canada, Denmark, Germany, India, Netherlands, Switzerland, UK andthe USA – and one pan-African partner, the African Academy of Sciences. [List subject tofinal confirmation]
In support of its overall vision for transformative and translational research on research,
RoRI has five objectives:● To support, expand and build capacity for interdisciplinary, mixed-methods researchon research (RoR) in the UK and internationally;● To connect academic capabilities to the data and analytical resources of Wellcome,Digital Science and RoRI’s wider consortium of strategic partners;● To co-design, experiment and apply new tools, indicators, funding modes,
prioritisation and evaluation frameworks;● To critically evaluate RoR methods and support engagement with data and evidence
about research systems by decision makers and society;● To create an independent space for learning, networking and collaboration between
researchers, policymakers, funders & technologists.
Confirmed RORI partners include: African Academy of Sciences; Austrian Science Fund;
Canadian Institutes of Health Research; Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI); Dutch ResearchCouncil (NWO); Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI); Michael Smith Foundation for
Health Research; National Institute for Health Research (UK); Novo Nordisk Foundation;
Albert P. Sloan Foundation; Swiss National Science Foundation; UK Research andInnovation (UKRI); Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance; and Volkswagen Foundation. Overthe coming months, RoRI hopes to expand the consortium to include additional funders,publishers, and learned and professional societies as partners.

Between them, RoRI consortium partners invest £14 billion ($17 bn; €15.5bn) each year inresearch and innovation. Together, the consortium will codesign projects and share data toinform comparative analysis of research systems and cultures, and develop, test and apply
novel approaches to decision-making, prioritisation, allocation and evaluation.
RoRI’s activities will include partnership projects, a rolling programme of research seminars
and webinars, as well as regular reports, working papers and think-pieces. All of its researchmethodologies and findings will be made openly available. Within RoRI, funders will also beable to access and use a secure data platform, hosted and managed by Wellcome as aneutral convenor and broker. This will provide a trusted space, where funders can securely
share data, policies and practices for primary research and experimentation.
Chonnettia Jones, Co-Chair of RoRI and Director of Insight and Analysis at Wellcome,said: “Wellcome wants to distribute its funding in the most efficient, fair, effective, andbeneficial ways possible to achieve our mission of improving health for everyone. To thatend, Wellcome has joined the universities of Sheffield and Leiden, and Digital Science, tolaunch a Research on Research Institute (RoRI), an international consortium of funders,policymakers, academics and technologists working in collaboration to advance Researchon Research. We wish to encourage research that helps us to better understand our own
funding practices and policies - and those of other funders - and how they can be improved
to enable research and innovation.”James Wilsdon, Director of RoRI and Digital Science Professor of Research Policy at theUniversity of Sheffield said: “Worldwide, interest is intensifying in how research is funded,practiced and evaluated, and in how research systems can be made more efficient, open,inclusive and impactful. Research on research isn’t new - there is a wealth of excellent work
to build on - but it can be poorly joined-up. Working with our consortium of partners, whotogether invest around £14 billion each year in research, RoRI has a unique opportunity toco-design and apply new methods, and experiment with creative approaches to decision
making, prioritisation and evaluation.”
Daniel Hook, Co-Chair of RoRI and CEO of Digital Science said: “Digital Science iscommitted to empowering all those involved in research with the right tools - either toimprove their research or to improve the ecosystem that supports research. RoRI is a unique‘experiment’ that brings together perspectives from all stakeholders in research tounderstand how research on research can be translated to improve all aspects of global
research capabilities. It is a pleasure to participate in such an exciting initiative.”
Sarah de Rijcke, Co-Chair of RoRI, Professor in Science and Evaluation Studies andDirector of the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University
said: “Science and innovation systems are changing rapidly to meet global challenges.
These changes often go together with heated debates about the value and reliability ofscience and scholarship. At CWTS, we are thrilled to bring to RoRI our decades’ worth ofexperience in analysing the research system and its connections to technology, innovation,and society. RoRI combines know-how and innovation capacity at an unprecedented scale.
This creates new and exciting opportunities for research on research, and for fostering amore open, collaborative, and impactful scientific enterprise.”Today RoRI is also pleased to announce its first XX report and XX working papers:
New Frontiers for Research on Research, 2 working papers – details to follow
Notes for editors:
About RoRI
RoRI is an international consortium of research funders, academic institutions andtechnologists working to champion transformative & translational research on research. By
analysing research systems and experimenting with new tools, indicators and evaluation
frameworks, we aim to advance more strategic, open, diverse and inclusive research. Visitour website http://www.researchonresearch.org/ and follow @RoRInstitute on Twitter.
About The Wellcome Trust
Wellcome is a politically and financially independent foundation. We support researchers, wetake on big health challenges, we campaign for better science, and we help everyone getinvolved with science and health research.
About Digital Science
Digital Science is a technology company working to make research more efficient. We investin, nurture and support innovative businesses and technologies that make all parts of theresearch process more open and effective. Our portfolio includes admired brands including
Altmetric, Anywhere Access, Dimensions, Figshare, ReadCube, Symplectic, IFI Claims,GRID, Overleaf, CC Technology, Writefull, Gigantum and Ripeta. We believe that together,
we can help researchers make a difference. Visit www.digital-science.com and follow@digitalsci on Twitter.
About The University of Sheffield
With almost 29,000 of the brightest students from over 140 countries, learning alongside
over 1,200 of the best academics from across the globe, the University of Sheffield is one of
the world’s leading universities. A member of the UK’s prestigious Russell Group of leading
research-led institutions, Sheffield offers world-class teaching and research excellenceacross a wide range of disciplines. Unified by the power of discovery and understanding,staff and students at the university are committed to finding new ways to transform the world
we live in. Sheffield is the only university to feature in The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-ForProfit Organisations to Work For 2018 and for the last eight years has been ranked in the top
five UK universities for Student Satisfaction by Times Higher Education. Sheffield has sixNobel Prize winners among former staff and students and its alumni go on to hold positionsof great responsibility and influence all over the world, making significant contributions intheir chosen fields. Global research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce,Unilever, AstraZeneca, Glaxo SmithKline, Siemens and Airbus, as well as many UK andoverseas government agencies and charitable foundations.
About CWTS, Leiden University
CWTS is an institute that studies scientific research and its connections to technology,innovation, and society. As a leading research, consulting, and training centre, CWTS isdedicated to increasing our understanding of scientific quality, societal impact, and otherrelated concepts. Its research, scientometric tools, and evaluation expertise provide a solidbasis for supporting research assessment and strategic decision making and for developing
science policy.