Research transformation: Change in the era of AI, open, and impact: voices from the academic community
Your experiences, as told to us
To understand more about how the research world is transforming, what’s influencing change, and how roles are impacted, we reached out to the research community through a global survey and in-depth interviews.
It’s clear academia is at a pivotal juncture
External pressures from an increasingly complex world are forcing rapid change in the sector.
As a society, we need answers to pressing issues and there is a growing expectation for research to deliver. But increasing demands, tightening budgets, and lack of infrastructure can stand in the way of progress. Many are turning to emerging technologies for support.
Download the Research Transformation report
Discover proven strategies for innovative transformation
In order to build tools that really speak to users’ needs, as well as talking often, it is important to understand where the space has come from and where it is moving too. We were delighted to hear how aligned our focusses were. I’m particularly excited to see where we can improve on all fronts with the inevitability and all of the benefits of open research.
Key findings
Several themes that emerged from our research are summarized here. For all the detail, make sure you download the full report.
Open research is transforming research, but barriers remain
82% of respondents said that open research enhancements will have the most impact on research over the next five years.
- Open research cited as most positive change in last five years
- Open research top change the community would like to see in the next five years
- Challenges in open research include lack of awareness, funding, support, resources and infrastructure
- Concerns around data security, research quality and competitiveness
I don’t think we have sufficiently thought through how we can absolutely be confident about privacy and security at the same time as we go full sail into open.
Kevin Dunn, Provost, Western Sydney University
In recent years, there has been very welcome emphasis on research culture and open research, and concern with other types of metrics and behaviors that are not as hard-nosed as they once were.
Sally Smith, Director of Research, Trinity College Dublin
Research metrics are evolving to emphasize holistic impact and inclusivity
77% of respondents expect to spend more time on ‘Research Impact and Evaluation’ over the next five years.
- Frustration with traditional metrics, but they still hold weight
- Call for a more holistic evaluation of research impact and quality
- A limited shift to more responsible use of traditional metrics and introduction of alternative metrics
- Institutes addressing academic culture issues but need greater recognition for non-traditional contributions
AI’s transformative potential is huge, but bureaucracy and skill gaps threaten progress
69% of respondents stated that skill gaps are having an extremely high or moderate impact on their role today.
- Emerging technologies will continue to impact roles over the next five years
- New technology expected to drive efficiencies in data and analytics, and open research
- Call to address AI skills gap and introduce change management strategies
- Enthusiasm for AI tempered by concerns around ethics, security and integrity, as well as AI bias, hallucinations and impact on critical thinking
I think artificial intelligence will be a game changer in terms of the development of the tools that we use primarily to find and discover research.
Emily Hart, Science Librarian, Research Impact Lead, Syracuse University
Do we have trouble finding partners? Partners with money? Yes. Partners for research? I don’t think so. It comes down to the funding.
Michelle Vincent, Director of Research Strategy and Performance at Swinburne University of Technology
Collaboration is booming, but increasing concerns over funding and security
80% of researchers believe collaboration outside of academia is changing the way research is performed.
- Interconnected technology and open research support greater global connectivity
- Collaboration has multiple benefits e.g. can increase citations and enhance research quality
- Easy to find collaborators, but scarce funding to support partnership
- Increasing concerns around research security and ‘damaging’ collaborations
Security and risk management need a strategic and cultural overhaul
45% of respondents report an increase in the amount of time they spend on research security now compared to five years ago
- Security threats putting international research collaborations at risk
- Institutions tasked to balance risk and innovation, but they aren’t equipped
- Risk management conflicts with other priorities
- Tendency to ‘wait and see’, rather than proactive management
Over the last five years, there has been a demonstrable investment and a positive step change in awareness and engagement across the UK HE sector around security and compliance.
Chris Buckland, Director of Security, Risk & Compliance, Cranfield University
Our report speaks loudly of the technological advancements, new research practices and global problems driving change in academia. These transformations have created both opportunities and obstacles for institutions and the sector at large.
Key questions for our community
AI
- How can we share a framework where we can trust the automation AI provides throughout researcher workflows?
- How can cultural change be achieved in time for such a fast-changing phenomenon?
Open
- Is open research an inevitability?
- How do we define research security in the context of open research, where academic freedom is balanced with responsibility?
Impact
- What is ‘real impact,’ and can it be measured beyond rankings?
- With geopolitics creating an environment that reduces opportunities for collaboration, what are the implications for academia in a more siloed research world?
Driving progress for all
Our report speaks loudly of the technological advancements, new research practices and global problems driving change in academia. These transformations have created both opportunities and obstacles for institutions and the sector at large.
At Digital Science, our goal is to advance global research by solving the community’s biggest challenges through innovative artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Our job is to make life easier for everyone in the research world—researchers, universities, funders, industry, and publishers—so that research can become open, fairer, faster, freer and more connected to drive progress for all.
How we can help you
Planning & strategy
Collaboration
