Capability Scoping Research

A multi-part scoping study to help develop a national network for behavioural research in the UK and a capability building strategy.

What is capability scoping?

Behavioural research is crucial for informing policy and practice in areas not limited to but including public health, climate change and sustainability, economic well-being, education, crime and justice, social welfare, governance and digital technology including artificial intelligence. Making advances in these areas, and improving the ways we conduct behavioural research, will depend on large-scale collaboration across disciplinary and sector boundaries, as well as developing more effective links between basic research, applied research, policy and practice.  

Behavioural Research UK (BR-UK) is part of the ESRC effort to facilitate and  build national capability for behavioural research in the UK. One of our first activities was a multi-part scoping study to understand the current landscape of behavioural research, including where there are gaps and opportunities in relation to societal needs, and to establish a national network and a set of strategic priorities for BR-UK’s future work and commissioning fund.  Our capability scoping work included several phases: mapping organisations and networks; surveying behavioural researchers and research users; conducting interviews and workshops; and co-developing strategic priorities. The focus was across sectors (research, public and voluntary sector organisations, and industry).  The protocols and plans for this initial work is available on the Open Science Framework.  The primary aim was to describe the field of behavioural research across all four UK nations and determine strengths, gaps, needs, opportunities, and priorities. The work continues within BR-UK as part of our Work Package on Capability Building. 

Find out more about what capability scoping is and the resources we have generated so far. 

What did we do?

Our capability scoping study included:

A documentary review: Review of recent strategies for advancing behavioural and social research from national and devolved governments and research funders. This included a summary of how these strategies propose to strengthen behavioural research capability and identify gaps and areas of unmet scientific and stakeholder needs, as well as areas for advancement. The resulting report from this work is linked below. [Protocol on OSF]

Mapping of behavioural research activity: We collected together information from databases, internet searches, stakeholder elicitation and snowballing to create and analyse a public database and map of UK behavioural research activity (see below). [Protocol on OSF] 

A cross-sector survey:  We conducted the first phase of a national survey of behavioural researchers and research users in public, private and third/voluntary sectors to gather wide-ranging views on current capabilities and future needs. [Protocol on OSF]

A study of behavioural research in start-ups and scaleups: We launched a survey to assess the needs and priorities and identify opportunities for behavioural research in UK start-ups and scale-ups and produced a report summarising our findings (see below). [Protocol on OSF]

We also undertook online workshops to explore and co-develop ways to strengthen behavioural research capability in the UK. 

Behavioural Research Map

Click on an organisation's pin to find out more, such as webpage, location and estimated number of behavioural researchers.  

This is a living resource that is regularly updated. We include any organisation in which there is at least one person who works on behavioural research projects (of any kind) as part of a UK-based role. You can access the underlying data in CSV format on the Open Science Framework, along with details of existing networks.

If you would like to add or update your organisation's details, please email BehaviouralResearchUK@ucl.ac.uk with the following information: 

  • Name of organisation / group
  • Type of organisation (public, private, third/voluntary sector or academic)
  • Main UK postcode(s)
  • Main webpage
  • Estimated number of people who work on behavioural research projects 

For networks please send the following information: 

  • Name of network
  • Main webpage
  • Estimated number of members.

Building the UK’s Behavioural Research Capabilities: A scoping study and strategy from the Behavioural Research UK Leadership Hub

Behavioural research (BR) plays a critical role in understanding and addressing complex societal challenges, from health and sustainability to economic behaviour and public policy. However, the extent, distribution and type of behavioural research activity across the UK has not been systematically mapped, nor is it clear how well-equipped researchers and organisations are to translate this research into real-world impact. This report seeks to fill that gap. It presents a comprehensive overview of the current state of behavioural research in the UK and offers guidance for strengthening the field moving forward. Drawing on multiple approaches including national mapping, strategic document analysis, stakeholder surveys, and expert workshops, this report identifies both the existing strengths and persistent barriers within the behavioural research ecosystem and outlines future national priorities.

To cite this report, please use the following format:  Coupe, N; Hart, N; Yang, G et al. "Building the UK’s Behavioural Research Capabilities: A scoping study and strategy from the Behavioural Research UK Leadership Hub" [http://dx.doi.org/10.7488/era/6036]


Building Behavioural Research Capabilities in UK Startups & Scaleups

In this report, we outline how behavioural research is currently being conducted in startups and scaleups in the UK, and identified opportunities for building capability in such ventures.  Led by Zinc, this builds on their previous work that highlighted the opportunities presented by ventures as environments to conduct and advance behavioural research. 


How are we using this information?

We are progressing into our capability building phase of this work.  Our research will continue to lay the groundwork for building and enhancing capabilities in behavioural research, addressing challenges and fostering collaboration, training, and practices that contribute to sustained improvement and impact in the field. 


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