Research starts with a good question.
You look for evidence, listen to people, explore what is already known, and use what you learn to make better decisions.
Research and Innovation
Ask better questions. Build better answers.
Research and innovation are not one corner of the Academy. They run through every faculty, every programme and every space, because good work starts with paying attention.
In plain language
Two ideas, said simply, and meant.
Innovation starts with a real problem.
You notice something that is not working, then find a better way to solve it. It does not have to be new to the world. It has to be better here.
The journey
From noticing something to making it better.
This is the loop. It repeats. Most useful work goes round it more than once.
Problem
Something you have actually seen go wrong, or go slowly.
Question
Shape it into something that can be answered.
Evidence
Look at what is known. Listen to the people affected.
Idea
Decide what might make it better.
Experiment / test
Try it small, in a way you can undo.
Learn
See what happened, including what did not work.
Improve
Change it and go again, or stop and say why.
Evidence has many shapes
Not every investigation is formal academic research.
Different questions need different kinds of enquiry. Not every investigation is formal academic research. Here are the kinds of enquiry people do.
Labour-market evidence
What is happening to roles, skills and demand in health work.
Audience research
Understanding the people you are designing or writing for.
Problem research
Digging into why something is happening before you fix it.
Market assumptions
Testing whether anyone actually wants or needs the thing.
Clinical or service investigation
Examining a challenge inside a service, with the right permissions.
Formal research
Structured study carried out under appropriate ethics and governance arrangements.
Why it matters
Technology matters when it helps someone.
Technology matters when it helps people, professionals, services or communities achieve something better. That is the question we keep asking of any piece of work.
So every project is asked where it could contribute, as appropriate to its setting:
- Care, safety and quality.
- Access and experience.
- Workforce and services.
- Communities and population health.
Responsible AI
Use AI. Question it. Verify it.
We help people use AI, question it, check information and use it responsibly. AI does not replace professional judgement, professional standards or appropriate healthcare governance. Where something is not known, we say it is not known.
Governance
Unknown remains unknown.
Formal research activity will be described here only when the appropriate governance, permissions, partnerships and evidence are in place. Until then, the Academy keeps a clear line between learning investigations and formal research.
Start where you are
Bring the problem you keep noticing.
Tell us you are interested and we will let you know as research and innovation work opens up.