2026 Holyrood and Senedd elections

CaSE plans to use the opportunity offered by the upcoming elections in Scotland and Wales to raise the profile of R&D and forge stronger connections with politicians in Holyrood and the Senedd.

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.

Political Engagement

We engage with the full range of political decision-makers at national, devolved and local levels. This includes responding to consultations, writing letters to MPs and contributing our voice through the media.

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01 September 2025

Project launch

October 2025

Workshops: Exploring the political landscape and public priority issues in Scotland and Wales

20 February 2026

Case study submission deadline

Submit a case study

30 March 2026

Launch of Public Attitudes to R&D in Scotland and Wales 2026 and candidate email campaign

Read the results

07 May 2026

Holyrood and Senedd elections polling day

Our sponsors

March 2026

Launch of public opinion research and email campaign to candidates

CaSE has published the results of its new study, Public Attitudes to R&D in Scotland and Wales 2026, which explores at unprecedented depth how people in Scotland and Wales think and feel about R&D, and politically salient issues, ahead of the May 2026 Holyrood and Senedd elections.

CaSE has used these insights to produce a set of Guides to R&D on the Doorstep for candidates in both nations, and has shared this – alongside bespoke insights from new constituency-level analysis – with all candidates, urging them to support R&D, start conversations in their communities and engage with local R&D organisations.

Read the results Read the Guide to R&D on the Scottish Doorstep Read the Guide to R&D on the Welsh Doorstep

January 2026

Call for local R&D case studies for Scotland and Wales

We are asking our members and the wider sector for examples of the people and places doing R&D in Scotland and Wales. This is a fantastic way to showcase the benefits of your R&D to the new cohort of MSPs and MSs.

We welcome case studies about the work carried out by your whole organisation, a single site, partnership or member organisation, or about a specific research project with ties to Scottish or Welsh communities.

These case studies will be featured in Welcome Packs and/or on the CaSE website, and run alongside a call for MSPs/MSs to visit or engage with the initiatives showcased.

Submit a case study

October 2025

Exploring the political landscape and public priority issues in Scotland and Wales

A summary of two workshops CaSE held with sponsors and stakeholders in Wales and Scotland as part of our work to raise the profile of R&D in Holyrood and the Senedd.

August 2025

Building support for R&D at the 2026 Holyrood and Senedd elections

CaSE plans to use the opportunity offered by the upcoming elections in Scotland and Wales to raise the profile of R&D and forge stronger connections with politicians in Holyrood and the Senedd.

2024

General Election: Championing R&D through public opinion research

CaSE ran a successful campaign to build and strengthen connections with the new cohort of MPs around the 2024 General Election.

Find out more