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Research strategy and environment

Explore our vision for our research and how we are creating a research environment where both our research and research community can thrive.

We strongly believe in the importance of curiosity-driven research, rooted in academic excellence and supported by strong leadership. We also nurture and celebrate a culture of expertise that delivers benefits to our society. This is based on laying strong foundations for all research work at UCL and with partners, including:


Our vision and direction

    UCL Research Strategy

    Our Research Strategy, published in 2019, sets out a 10-year vision for the nature of UCL’s research. We seek to build upon the radical tradition of innovation, accessibility and relevance, established by our founders and embodied by successive generations. Our three core aims are:

    UCL's Strategic Plan research priorities

    The UCL's Strategy Plan 2022-27 renews our commitment to invest in our flagship UCL Grand Challenges and a number of key enabling priorities such as research and innovation services.

    Our Strategic Plan evolves the initial ambition of our Grand Challenges into a more established programme of five academically led Grand Challenges - Climate Crisis | Mental Health & Wellbeing | Data-Empowered Societies | Inequalities | Intercultural Communication.


    Our research culture

    Research Culture Roadmap
    Research culture describes the environment in which research happens. It's made up of the expectations, values, attitudes and behaviours of the people within it and shapes how research is created, stored and shared. 


    At UCL, we want to create a research environment that facilitates excellence and where we support one another to succeed. Our 10-year Roadmap, co-created with the research community, sets out how we will develop a fair, collaborative, and inclusive research culture.

    Find out more about research culture at UCL.


    Policy and best practice guidance

    There are two main aspects to ensuring that research policy and best practice contribute to a supportive and productive environment for UCL researchers.  

    Understanding, analysing and influencing research policy 

    Decisions made by policymakers, notably Government and research funders, play a significant role in shaping the environment in which UK research takes place. Research policy encompasses all policymaking debates and decisions that affect research at universities, spanning policy topics from R&D funding to immigration. The Research Policy team works to engage with research policy stakeholders, undertake analysis, and develop and advocate policy ideas that benefit research at universities. Find out more about the Research Policy team and its work.

    Enabling and ensuring research policy compliance and best practice 

    UCL regards it as fundamental that research should be conducted, and the results of research disseminated, honestly, accurately and in accordance with professional standards. All those at UCL involved in research, whether on UCL premises or overseas, as well as external researchers working at or in collaboration with UCL are expected to comply with this guidance.

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    Research Integrity

    Research Integrity involves all aspects of the research process including planning, data collection, publication and authorship, sharing of data and good data management.

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    Research Ethics

    Research Ethics covers issues including, but not limited to, codes of practice, working with human participants, the use of animals in research and the use of sensitive data.

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    Research Transparency

    Research transparency covers how we ensure our research is responsible, reproducible, open and evidence-based. Access UCL's statement on transparency in research.

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    Bibliometrics

    Bibliometrics is concerned with the analysis of research based on the quantification of research publications and their characteristics. Find out about UCL policy on bibliometrics.

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    Open Access

    Open access means making research outputs freely available online. It ensures that research data and findings reach the widest possible audience, and that they can be used and shared easily.

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    Open Science

    The UCL Office for Open Science and Scholarship supports the UCL community in the adoption of open practices and approaches.

    State-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technologies

    We continually invest time, expertise and funds in maintaining and developing facilities and technologies that enable our world-leading academics and exceptional students to pursue excellence, cross boundaries and shape the world we live in.

    This would not be possible without the generosity of our benefactors – alumni and friends, charitable trusts and foundations, and companies, in the UK and around the world.

    Find out the latest for some of our first-class research facilities and technologies.