Members of the Scottish Parliament, their staff, and parliament staff need access to relevant, credible and timely evidence to support good scrutiny and informed debate. Accessing academic evidence and expertise is an important component of this. The Parliament is also committed to increasing the reach, and diversity, of those engaging with it.
The Scottish Parliament is piloting the application of Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) to explore their effectiveness in accessing, and diversifying, academic evidence and expertise available to inform parliamentary scrutiny.
ARIs are lists of issues or questions relating to a policy area. They are a way for an organisation like the Scottish Parliament to express interest in seeing more research evidence in a specific area and/or understanding what research expertise exists that is of relevance to this policy issue.
Scottish Parliament ARIs that are open are listed below. Using the form you can share details of your research or insights on a specific ARI alongside your contact details.
Academics at all career stages and from all research institutions are encouraged to respond.
The Scottish Parliament plans to use the responses received to identify research, expertise and contacts relevant to a particular scrutiny topic in the Parliament. The information could be used to:
Submitting a response does not necessarily mean we will get back in touch with you. However, the response form will ask for your permission for us to do this should we wish to follow up on your research expertise.
ARIs do not replace other mechanisms that the Scottish Parliament uses to engage with the academic community or calls for evidence that a Scottish Parliament committee may issue ahead of an inquiry.
If you have any questions about this process or how your information will be used, please refer to the privacy notice, or contact Dan Barlow, Knowledge Exchange Manager – Climate Change Scrutiny ([email protected]).
Area of Research Interest: Public Administration
This ARI aims to support the Scottish Parliament to identify expertise to inform its scrutiny of public administration issues in Scotland.
At the start of the current session of the Scottish Parliament the Finance Committee’s remit was expanded to include public administration for the first time, to provide oversight and scrutiny of the way in which government exercises its overall functions and the quality and standards of administration provided by the civil service in the Scottish Government. While the Committee carried out specific scrutiny in this area, such as an inquiry into effective Government decision-making and annual sessions with the Permanent Secretary, it also embedded public administration into other aspects of its work including inquiries into Scotland’s Commissioner Landscape and the Cost-effectiveness of Scottish Public Inquiries.
Looking ahead to how we best support a future public administration committee in Session 7 (from May 2026), we would be particularly keen to:
Academics at all career stages and from all research institutions are encouraged to respond to highlight their relevant expertise and links to relevant research.
Responses will be drawn on by Parliament research staff and likely to be used by a Session 7 committee with public administration in its remit.
Area of Research Interest: Public Administration (Microsoft Form)
We plan to close this ARI on Friday 13th March 2026.
Area of Research Interest: Industrial Decarbonisation
This ARI closed on 14 November 2025.
Area of Research Interest: Climate Emissions from Waste Management and Resource Use
Area of Research Interest: Understanding the Regional and Sectoral Employment Implications of a Just Transition
These ARIs closed on 6th June 2025.