CaSE is launching a collaborative, highly tailored campaign to raise R&D up the agenda in the Scottish and Welsh parliaments. We will gather public opinion insights to underpin an eye-catching campaign, alongside a portfolio of case studies that showcase the breadth of R&D across Scotland and Wales.
R&D can improve lives and livelihoods – but only if the public and policymakers see its full potential and support investment into it. The world-leading R&D taking place in Scotland and Wales is a crucial component in maintaining a thriving UK R&D sector and ensuring benefits to society and local economies are felt across all nations.
The 2026 Holyrood and Senedd elections offer the R&D sector an opportunity to nurture a new cohort of supporters among elected representatives in Scotland and Wales. These elections come amid a shifting political landscape; there is an urgent need to proactively engage all new parliamentarians and positively influence their attitudes towards Scotland and Wales’s R&D sectors.
The project will see CaSE commission fresh research into public attitudes to R&D in Scotland and Wales, providing detailed insights on the most salient issues in those nations. This will inform a campaign that demonstrates the relevance of R&D to parliamentary candidates and, after the election, elected representatives, including bespoke statistics and case studies that showcase the breadth and depth of nearby R&D.
This project builds on the success of CaSE’s constituency-level campaign during the 2024 UK General Election.
Sponsors
CaSE’s core investment in this project is supported by a grant from Wellcome, but it cannot be delivered without sponsors based in, or with a strong connection to, Scotland or Wales.
We are delighted that our first sponsors for this project are:
- British Heart Foundation (BHF)
- Cancer Research UK (CRUK)
- Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Glasgow
- University of Strathclyde
The expertise of our sponsors will help guide the campaign and their contributions will help fund the underpinning public opinion research in Scotland and Wales. These insights will allow CaSE to produce highly tailored campaign assets that bring R&D to the attention of parliamentarians and help strengthen the connection between the R&D community, the public, and politicians.
Commenting on the project:
“At CaSE we advocate for R&D’s place in society across the whole of the UK. The elections in Scotland and Wales present an exciting opportunity to put R&D high on the agenda during and after campaigning, and an opportunity for CaSE to develop public attitudes data at an unprecedented depth and scale in the nations. This work has the potential for great longevity, setting a platform and evidence base that will be useful in R&D advocacy for years to come.
“It is also a fantastic chance to highlight the breadth and depth of R&D in Scotland and Wales. Through this project we will be able to work with our sponsors and partners to showcase to policymakers the amazing research being carried out by CaSE members, and the wider R&D sector.”
Dr Florence Young
Public Opinion and Policy Officer, CaSE
“Next year’s elections in Scotland and Wales are an important opportunity to put research firmly on the political map. We’re joining forces with Campaign for Science and Engineering, and partners across the R&D sector, to highlight the vital contribution research makes in local communities in Scotland and Wales.
“The NHS and economy are at the top of people’s minds going into these elections. We need action to tackle long cancer waiting lists and boost economic growth in Scotland and Wales – and supporting cancer research offers a tried and tested way to deliver the new tests and treatments to tackle these challenges.
“As we approach those elections, we look forward to engaging with candidates from across the political spectrum, showing them how investing in and backing research delivers for the people they hope to represent in Holyrood and the Senedd.”
“It is also a fantastic chance to highlight the breadth and depth of R&D in Scotland and Wales. Through this project we will be able to work with our sponsors and partners to showcase to policymakers the amazing research being carried out by CaSE members, and the wider R&D sector.”
Dr Ian Walker
Executive Director of Policy Information and Communications at Cancer Research UK
“At the University of Glasgow, research and innovation are part of our civic purpose and our global outlook. They shape healthier, more prosperous and more resilient communities here in Scotland and connect us to urgent challenges across the world. Every day we see how collaboration, bold ideas and equitable partnerships turn knowledge into impact. That is why we are proud to support CaSE’s campaign to strengthen awareness and support for R&D in Scotland and Wales. By working together, we can ensure that research is not only recognised as a national strength but also placed at the heart of shaping a better future for society.”
Professor Chris Pearce
Vice Principal (Research & Knowledge Exchange), University of Glasgow
Find out more about this project
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