Mapping the UK's IBD Research Landscape - Crohn's & Colitis UK

About the client

Crohn’s and Colitis UK is the nation’s leading charity supporting people affected by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Through their research funding, advocacy work, campaigning and multiple support services they fight to improve the lives of over 500,000 people in the UK living with these conditions while working towards a future free from Crohn’s and Colitis.

Challenge

Crohn’s and Colitis UK needed a comprehensive analysis of the IBD research landscape in the UK to lay the groundwork for a strategic refresh of their research programme. They wanted data-driven evidence on where the UK’s research strengths lay, how research themes had evolved, and how their funding could be deployed most effectively.

Approach

Using a combination of traditional bibliometrics and innovative approaches to thematic analyses, I:

• Analysed multiple open datasets including OpenAlex, ClinicalTrials.gov, and EuropePMC to map out publication patterns, clinical trials, and grant funding in the IBD research space.

• Developed a mixed-methods process combining topic modelling (Latent Dirichlet Allocation) with large language models to identify and categorise key research themes in the field of IBD. As part of this, I automatically categorised over 13,000 IBD papers from the UK against the 10 James Lind Alliance priorities set out in 2014, and tracked how UK research was influenced by this exercise.

• Conducted 15 in-depth interviews with key researchers and funders in the field to validate findings, gather expert insights on the current state and future directions of IBD research, and discuss opportunities for partnerships.

• Synthesised findings into 11 key conclusions spanning critical areas such as workforce development, skills distribution, research themes, knowledge gaps, collaboration patterns, industry engagement, level of funding and opportunities for partnerships — each accompanied by specific actionable recommendations.

Outcomes

The findings were compiled into a report and detailed presentation, with plans for publication in manuscript format. This work provides Crohn’s and Colitis UK with a data-driven foundation for their research strategy, helping ensure their future investments are guided by the best available evidence, and maximising the chances of delivering positive impact for people living with IBD.

Yarunnessa continues: “Jorge’s clear communication style and responsiveness made the project run smoothly, and he consistently helped us understand the practical implications of his findings. Colleagues at Crohn’s and Colitis UK have found the learnings of the project very valuable for our work. During the course of the project, multiple interviewees that saw parts of the analysis encouraged us to publish the work. In the coming months we will work together on a manuscript, and we also look forward to future collaborations with Jorge as we work to maximise our impact for the IBD community.”