UK Space Agency analyses impact of space research funding

Author: EIS Release Date: Aug 12, 2021

The UK Space Agency has carried out a study to measure the effectiveness of its funding of space-related research over a ten year period – a “Bibliometric analysis of research linked to UK Space Agency funding”.

 

UK Space Agency analyses impact of space research fundingIt commissioned know.space, a specialist space economics consultancy, and Digital Science, a London-based research analytics company, to help produce the report. They were using data such as patents filed, publications, citations, international collaborations and various other datasets associated with UKSA funding.

 

The stated objective was to provide the UKSA with “a better understanding of the nature and impact of the research funded by the Agency”.

 

Publications

Over the 2010-2020 time period, the analysis identified 3,000 global publications, for example, linked to UK Space Agency funding, generated by 4,100 researchers.

 

On average, the UKSA reveals, 7% of publications linked to UK Space Agency funding placed in the global top 1% across all disciplines in a given year, 25% in the top 5%, and 38% in the top 10%.

 

Regions

Among its other findings, the UKSA writes:

 

“Within the UK, researchers were (at the time of their research publication) affiliated with organisations throughout the nation, although London, the South East of England, and Scotland dominated – possibly reflecting the relative strength of the space sector in these areas18. Northern Ireland and Yorkshire and the Humber exhibited the lowest ratio of UK-based researchers linked to UKSA funding based on their population, again perhaps reflecting the relatively lower degree of space activity in these regions in general.“

 

“Overall, research linked to UKSA funding was overwhelmingly (and unsurprisingly) generated by universities. Most institutions placing in the Nature Index’s UK top 10 also published the most research linked to UKSA funding (e.g. University College London, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and Imperial College London). However, the Universities of Leicester, Glasgow, and Cardiff, and the Open University stood out as significant contributors of publications linked to UKSA funding, indicative of a relative concentration in space-related studies.”

 

 

 

Top 10 organisations for UK-based researchers with publications linked to UKSA funding (2010-20)

 

Collaboration

The top collaborating countries in absolute terms are the US, European Union (EU) countries, Canada, Switzerland, and Russia.

 

In per capita (population weighted) terms, the Scandinavian countries, Switzerland, and EU countries stand out, probably driven by collaboration in activities related to ESA funding, the UKSA notes.