The Mobilising Evidence Through AI and User-informed Synthesis (METIUS) project is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through ESRC and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), with co-funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). 

METIUS is a new infrastructure that will harness cutting-edge AI to dramatically improve the speed, relevance and accessibility of evidence synthesis for decision-makers tackling urgent challenges.

Led by Queen’s University Belfast, the project will transform how governments around the world use research evidence to inform decision-making on urgent issues like climate change, education, and public safety.

Bridging the evidence-policy gap

Too often, world-class research fails to reach people making critical decisions. Despite the wealth of scientific research being produced globally, policymakers often struggle to access relevant, timely and digestible evidence when making decisions. 

Recent analysis commissioned by ESRC and the Government Office for Science shows that UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) investments alone could address 81% of priority evidence gaps identified by UK government departments.   

This new infrastructure will address this critical gap by combining AI capabilities with human expertise to transform how evidence is synthesised, analysed and communicated to policymakers at unprecedented speed and scale.  

Science Minister, Lord Vallance, said: “The challenge for policymakers is often in sourcing the specific information they need from troves of research, rather than a lack of available evidence. 

 “This UK-led project will use AI to pinpoint the information researchers need, and quickly, to improve outcomes in everything from education to justice, climate change to international development, which ultimately benefits us all.”

Stian Westlake, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Executive Chair said: "AI has enormous potential to turn a mass of diffuse research into synthesised, useful summaries, which can help policy makers and practitioners deliver better outcomes for citizens. 

“This new infrastructure investment has the potential to transform how evidence informs policy decisions, and strengthen the UK's position as a leader in research and innovation, driving economic growth and improving lives across the country."

Andrea Cook, Executive Director, United Nations Sustainable Development Group System-wide Evaluation Office said: "Access to high-quality, timely evidence is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This initiative represents an important step forward in bridging the gap between research and policy, enabling more effective and evidence-informed decision-making globally."

Dr Gavin Stewart, Reader in Interdisciplinary Evidence Synthesis, is the Newcastle University project lead. He said "Working on methods for robust broad scale and timely synthesis methods to inform global sustainable development goals is a challenging and exciting endeavour. I'm excited to be leading methods work with a fantastic team of interdisciplinary scientists so policymakers can use evidence to make better decisions."

"This is important because currently evidence is used incoherently- often in systems that incorporate bias or don’t reflect uncertainty properly. It has the potential to reshape evidence synthesis architecture to make sure scientists do useful trustworthy science and that decision-makers are aware of what works when they decide on policies.”

Press release adapted with thanks from UKRU and Queen’s University Belfast.