MSFHR joins new international Research on Research Institute (RoRI)

When UK-based Wellcome Trust approached us to be a strategic partner in the new Research on Research Institute (RoRI), we seized the opportunity not only to learn from our counterparts around the world but also to contribute to growing body of work on research on research (also known as meta-research, science of science or meta-science).

As a data-centric organization, MSFHR uses the data we collect at the program, organizational and system level to inform and evolve our work. Increasingly, these analyses are raising important questions—for example how best to define, assess and measure concepts like excellence or impact in peer review and research impact assessment.

We know we can’t answer these questions alone so when UK-based Wellcome Trust approached us to be a strategic partner in the new Research on Research Institute (RoRI), we seized the opportunity not only to learn from our counterparts around the world but also to contribute to the growing body of work on research on research (also known as meta-research, science of science or meta-science).

Co-founded by the Wellcome Trust, the universities of Sheffield and Leiden, and Digital Science, RoRI brings together an international consortium of research funders, academic institutions, and technologists working to champion the latest approaches to research on research. By analysing research systems and experimenting with decision and evaluation data, tools and frameworks, it aims to advance more strategic, open, diverse and inclusive research.

“We have identified ‘research on research’ as a priority because we know it will provide the evidence we need to be a responsive and responsible funder,” says Dr. Bev Holmes, president & CEO. “We look forward to working with RoRI partners, including our colleagues at the Canadian institutes of Health Research, to co-design projects and share information that will help us make better decisions about what to fund, how to fund, how to support, and how to measure.”

Launched today, RoRI will be based for an initial two-year incubation phase at Wellcome’s offices in London. Its activities will include partnership projects, a rolling programme of research seminars and webinars, as well as regular reports, working papers and think-pieces.

To learn more about RoRI, visit http://researchonresearch.org/