The Senedd’s knowledge exchange strategy 2021-26 aims to broaden, deepen, and diversify the evidence available to the Senedd to improve scrutiny and law-making work. One of the ways it proposes to do this is through the use of ‘areas of research interest’, to strategically engage with the research community around the research demands of committees.
The Senedd is committed to ensuring that the evidence used by committees comes from a diverse range of people, communities, sectors, groups and organisations. The use of Areas of Research Interest also intends to support this work.
What are Areas of Research Interest (ARIs)?
Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) are lists of policy issues or questions. They are a way for an organisation to express interest in seeing more research evidence in certain topics.
How can researchers share their insights on the ARIs?
Committee ARIs that are currently open are listed below. If you have evidence or insights on the ARIs (including evidence reviews), you can add information about the research and your contact details to the repository of research. If this area becomes a topic of scrutiny within the Senedd, staff may search the repository for relevant research and contacts.
How does the Senedd use ARIs?
ARIs are not an exhaustive list of all areas in which the Senedd may be interested. Parliamentary priorities are driven by elected representatives responding to current affairs.
Senedd committees issue calls for evidence based on their current priorities - ARIs do not replace these calls for evidence. However, ARIs may be used by Members of the Senedd and by Senedd staff to scope and/or inform future work, identify witnesses, and gather research evidence to support scrutiny.
