Behavioural Research UK (BR-UK) is launching a two-part webinar series introducing the next phase of its core research programme.

Following completion of our initial research projects, the next phase research programme is well under way. Join our upcoming webinars to learn more.

Behavioural Research UK (BR-UK) is launching a two-part webinar series introducing the next phase of its core research programme. 

The first webinar focuses on on behavioural approaches to important societal challenges, highlighting new research on health, environment and community safety. Topics include how households balance overheating risks with energy costs as climate pressures grow; harmonising behavioural data across the UK to better target interventions on childhood obesity, self-harm and suicidal ideation; community-based approaches to reducing speeding and protecting children from online harms; and the use of interpretable machine learning and ontologies to evaluate national public health programmes such as Swap to Stop.

The second webinar focuses on behavioural research infrastructure, methods and impact, presenting findings on our work to map UK behavioural research capability; improve how evidence on intervention effectiveness is communicated; and deepen understanding of how policymakers engage with behavioural evidence and theory. It will also consider how behavioural research can be more effectively embedded within organisations, and how cognitive processes such as attention, memory and reasoning shape diverse responses to interventions.

By attending this webinar, participants will:

  • Gain knowledge about the next phase of Behavioural Research UK (BR-UK) and how its programme is informing the future of behavioural science in the UK, from research infrastructure to real-world application.
  • Understand how behavioural research is being applied to societal challenges, including climate adaptation and mitigation, health and wellbeing, community safety and online harms.
  • Learn about new tools and methods for strengthening behavioural evidence—such as approaches to harmonising data across UK nations, communicating intervention effectiveness more clearly, and using interpretable machine learning to evaluate national programmes.
  • Consider how behaviour is understood and acted on in policy contexts, including lessons from recent crises on public engagement, communication and policymaking at pace.
  • Discover practical insights on embedding behavioural research within organisations, and how cognitive processes like attention, memory and reasoning influence varied responses to interventions.
  • Identify opportunities for engagement with BR-UK projects, expertise and networks across sectors.

Behaviour Change for Health, Environment and Safer Communities

This webinar is the first of two marking the launch of the next phase of BR-UK research, outlining how behavioural science is being mobilised to help inform approaches to addressing some of the most urgent challenges facing the UK in health, environment and community safety.

Across environment and sustainability, speakers will explore how households navigate the competing pressures of overheating risk and rising energy costs. Drawing on longitudinal research, the webinar will highlight how climate adaptation and mitigation behaviours interact over time, and what this means for effective policy design and public engagement. In health and wellbeing, the focus turns to innovative approaches for harmonising behavioural data on childhood obesity, self-harm and suicidal ideation across the UK’s nations—informing better-targeted, evidence-based interventions.

The session will also describe ongoing research on resilient communities, including community-led strategies to reduce speeding and emerging work to protect children from online harms. The data and technology theme will demonstrate how combining ontologies with interpretable machine learning can be used to evaluate large-scale national programmes, such as Swap to Stop.

Building Behavioural Research Capacity, Methods and Impact

This second webinar outlines the next phase of BR-UK research dedicated to strengthening the infrastructure, methods and real-world impact of behavioural research across the UK.

Focusing on capability building, the session will provide an update on our national map of UK behavioural research activity, designed to help identify expertise, reveal gaps and stimulate collaboration across disciplines and sectors. Research on methods, evidence and synthesis will introduce innovative tools for communicating intervention effectiveness in clearer, more concrete and decision-relevant ways—supporting policymakers and practitioners to act on evidence with confidence.

The webinar will also explore engagement and involvement through insights from interviews with politicians, civil servants and scientific advisers, examining how public behaviour was understood and framed during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings offer important lessons for future crisis communication, policymaking and public engagement. In addition, research on organisations, markets and the economy will address the practical challenges of embedding behavioural research within organisations, alongside new work examining how cognitive processes such as attention, memory and reasoning drive varied responses to interventions.

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