Academic research plays an important role in influencing real-world policy tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a new report by Springer Nature, in collaboration with Overton, has found.
According to the study, which analysed more than 12 million global policy documents, academic research is being utilised to support evidence, justify recommendations, and shape the direction of public policy around the world.
Policy documents linked to the SDGs contain ‘significantly more’ references to academic research than those related to other topics, it noted.
SDG-related policy
India leads the way in terms of using academic research to support SDG-related policy, with 41% of said documents citing such research. Some 28% of these citations are exclusively Indian-authored research, while 13% are international contributions.
According to the report, this reliance on academic research is due to India’s ‘strong public research ecosystem, where more than half of the research output originates from government-funded institutions, and the increasing presence of Indian experts on national policy advisory bodies’.
Other countries to report a high degree of academic research in SDG-related policy documents include Australia and Brazil.
On a global level, while 78% of the research cited in SDG-related policy comes from authors in the Global North, India and Brazil are notable exceptions, with domestic research more frequently cited in these markets.
Making an impact
“With just five years until the 2030 deadline for the SDGs, understanding how research informs policy is critical,” commented Nicola Jones, sirector, SDG Programme, Springer Nature. “We know science and research can solve problems, but only if it reaches decision makers.
“This analysis is the missing piece of the puzzle, showing quantifiably for the first time where research has an impact on the goals and where gaps remain. We’ve learnt so much, and we hope what we’ve found sparks collaboration across the research ecosystem to help close those gaps.”
Elsewhere, Katie Shamash, head of data at Overton, added that the study “paints a much clearer picture of how research is being used in practice to drive real policy change and advance the Goals”. Read more here.
