The Institute for Policy Research (IPR) is a leading public policy research institute, based at the University of Bath. We aim to advance the public good with innovative research into major policy challenges and deliver activities that connect researchers with policymakers and practitioners. Through our teaching, events and publications, we promote public understanding and democratic debate on public policy.

Our 2024–2025 annual report shares details of our activities and achievements over the past year. We’ve outlined a few highlights below.

Research

This year, around 25 per cent of our publications appeared in the top ten per cent cited worldwide, highlighting the IPR’s role as a leading source of original, high-quality and impactful research. We have also continued to have a direct effect on the creation of evidence-based policy across a wide range of areas.

Our research streams include:

To explore our work on these themes, see pages 17-31 of the Annual Report, or visit our website for the latest updates.

We had a successful year for income generation, returning over £4.5 million in research income in 2024-25. This included significant funding from the Research England Development Fund to establish the Brunel Centre, a new economic data and research resource for the West of England, in partnership with colleagues at UWE Bristol and Futures West. In addition, we are frequently invited to contribute to funding applications, and play a significant role in different research proposals and projects.

Postgraduate teaching

We offer postgraduate programmes through our Doctorate in Policy Research and Practice (DPRP) and our joint MSc in Public Policy. Over 30 students are currently enrolled on the MSc in Public Policy course, and 100 mid-career policy professionals have now been recruited onto our Doctorate in Policy Research and Practice (DPRP). We celebrated a number of doctoral graduates from the DPRP course during the last year (find out more on page 41).

Policy programmes

Our Policy Fellowship Programme continues to grow in strength and reach. During 2024–2025, we welcomed more than 40 fellows to Bath, hosting over 120 meetings with almost 90 Bath academics and professional service staff. Learn more about these visits on pages 45-47.

Through the Bath Policy Engagement Academy, we delivered online policy engagement guides, case studies and resources; policy engagement training sessions for early career researchers; policy impact coaching for academics; and Masterclasses with the Policy Profession Unit. Pages 47-49 share more detail and some of our coaching highlights.

Our international policy engagement work included leading the University of Bath delegation to COP 29, where we presented ActNowFilm: Youth Climate Leaders as Agents of Change at six events. We also delivered workshops to help young climate leaders develop the knowledge and skills needed to engage more effectively with climate policy processes. Find out more on pages 51-53.

Events and communications

We were delighted to host a range of high-profile speakers as part of our 2024–2025 event series, which was attended by over 1,200 people. We shared new podcasts and videos online, engaging another 15,800 people. Visit page 55 for more information, and catch up on the series via our SoundCloud playlist and YouTube channel.

We produced 16 IPR publications (see page 56 for the complete list), and delivered these reports and policy briefs to strategic and key contacts working in fields relevant to the findings and recommendations.

Our blog offers expert analysis, debate and comment on recent developments across UK government, policy and academia, as well as pieces to supplement our publications and events. During 2024–2025, we published 85 posts and received around 24,100 blog views.