📣 Help Shape the Future of UKRI's Gateway to Research (GtR)

We're improving UKRI's Gateway to Research and are seeking your input! If you would be interested in being interviewed about the improvements we're making and to have your say about how we can make GtR more user-friendly, impactful, and effective for the Research and Innovation community, please email gateway@ukri.org.

Real-time digital optimisation and decision making for energy and transport systems

Lead Research Organisation: University of Cambridge
Department Name: Pure Maths and Mathematical Statistics

Abstract

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
 
Description This award has led to the creation of tools for public policy communication of scientific ideas. These have been applied to a systematic review on energy.
Exploitation Route We have already had interest from government departments both in the UK and overseas in using our tools.
Sectors Government

Democracy and Justice

 
Description Environmental Audit Committee Evidence
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to a national consultation/review
URL https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/121655/html/
 
Title Evidence Communication Rules for Policy (ECR-P) critical appraisal tool 
Description ECR-P has been designed to provide a standardised and transparent approach to assess the quality and communication of scientific-based policy recommendations and their evidence base. The tool, which could be applied across all scientific fields, has been developed to fit primarily with the systematic reviewing process but could also serve as a stand-alone tool. Besides review assessors, it can also be used by policymakers, researchers, peer reviewers, editors and any other stakeholders interested in evidence-based policymaking and high-quality evidence communication. 
Type Of Material Data analysis technique 
Year Produced 2025 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact The Evidence Communication Rules for Policy (ECR-P) critical appraisal tool was used in executing a systematic review of evidence communication for policy makers. This systematic review focused on energy and transport research towards net zero targets and climate change mitigation. We anticipate that the tool will be used by assessors in further systematic reviews. 
URL https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13643-025-02757-8#Fig1
 
Description KPMG-Cambridge Future of Work Mental Wellbeing Pillar 
Organisation KPMG International Cooperative
Department KPMG Leeds
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution This partnership will build on the work of Prof. Aston and the CMIH. The aim is to understand and enhance KPMG data collection and collation methods/strategies to enable building and benefits from resilient data systems. This will be through examining causal inference testing, identifying mechanisms that underlie directional associations ('causal' links), and noting mechanisms as key to effective interventions/strategies.
Collaborator Contribution The collaborators have provided new datasets, the analyses of which will build upon the work of the CMIH.
Impact None yet.
Start Year 2023
 
Description New Scientist Live 2024 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact The collaboration had a booth at the New Scientist Live 2024 festival. During this three-day scientific festival we presented our work on evidence communication and how we are creating new tools to facilitate a better connection between scientific outcomes and policymakers.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://live.newscientist.com/
 
Description One-to-one meetings with Policy Leaders Fellows. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact I had one-to-one meetings with senior policymakers that were Policy Leaders Fellows. During these meeting I talked about our work on evidence communication and our novel tool for critically appraising policy recommendations put forward by researchers that was being developed at the time. The policymakers provided feedback so that we could better address their needs in the development of our tool.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024
URL https://www.csap.cam.ac.uk/policy-fellowships/policy-leaders-fellows/
 
Description Seminar for the Policy Fellowships Programme of the Centre for Science and Policy of the University of Cambridge. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact The activity was a seminar presenting our novel critical appraisal tool ECR-P (Evidence Communication Rules for Policy). The tool focuses on the quality of scientific-based policy recommendations and their evidence based. The participants in this seminar were policymakers that are currently policy fellows in a programme by the Centre for Science and Policy. As such, the audience showed a lot of interest in this novel tool and expressed interest in using it in the future as part of evidence synthesis for policymaking.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2025
URL https://www.csap.cam.ac.uk/policy-fellowships/