Writing on research intelligence
Technical deep-dives, methodology notes, and perspectives on how data and AI are reshaping research strategy.
How a landscape analysis led to two national clinical trials
The story behind the Blood Biomarker Challenge at Alzheimer's Research UK — from an open brief on diagnostics to ~£12 million in investment and two major UK clinical trials for Alzheimer's blood tests.
Patent–publication citation linking from open data at global scale
Patent citations to scholarly papers are one of the strongest signals that research is turning into innovation — but most research funders have never seen this data. Here's why that matters, and what changes when you can access it without a six-figure platform subscription.
Does your research strategy need more... research?
Funders could benefit from approaching their new research strategies the way researchers approach experiments — with hypotheses, a willingness to be surprised, and data to back up their claims. Here is a set of open-data questions across six domains that can help any funder build a more evidence-informed strategy.
Quick tips for better impact evaluation
Four practical tips for funders who want to go beyond vanity metrics and use impact evaluation to make better strategic decisions — from refining what you measure to focusing on the people behind the research.
Researchers dislike Researchfish. Should funders too?
A deep-dive into the data quality issues found in Researchfish outputs at Alzheimer's Research UK — from ballooned publication counts to phantom leveraged funding — and why funders should think carefully before relying on this data for strategic decisions.
Tackling disparities in research funding: an opinionated guide for funders
Five opinionated learnings for research funders on how to meaningfully tackle gender disparities in scientific funding — from tying EDI work to strategy, to implementing double-blind review, to knowing when not to claim EDI as a priority.