Report Maps Metascience Across 18 Countries
A 265-page study from Research on Research Institute examines how nations are investing in research about research itself.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Mathematics
The Research on Research Institute has published Seize the Meta-Moment, a 265-page report analysing metascience institutions, investments and capabilities across 18 national research systems. The study drew on nearly 500,000 publications in the field and on interviews with researchers in several countries.
Why it matters
The report shows metascience moving from an academic niche toward formal government backing, while also exposing resistance from scholars and grant reviewers. How governments and the research community reconcile these tensions will shape how research funding and peer review are judged in the years ahead.
The study covers 265 pages and nearly 500,000 publications across 18 national research systems, with the UK committing £49 million to a cross-governmental Metascience Unit. Whether political backing for the field will be sustained remains an open question, according to researchers cited in the report.
The players
Research on Research Institute
An organisation that studies how research is funded, conducted and evaluated across national systems.
National Science Foundation
The United States federal agency that funds basic research and has established a dedicated Office of Metascience.
The details
Researchers analysed institutions, investments, infrastructures and capabilities dedicated to metascience, drawing on interviews in several countries. Australian interviewees said grant reviewers were sometimes actively hostile to the work, while scientists in Korea feared new methods would add administrative burdens.
Timeline
Research Ireland will launch a meta-research unit next month.
Big Picture
The National Science Foundation's creation of a dedicated Office of Metascience marks a formal institutional step for the field in the United States. The report places that move alongside similar efforts in the UK and Ireland across 18 national systems.
Metascience findings could influence how research grants are reviewed and how funding decisions are made in future. Readers following research policy may see changes in how peer review is conducted as governments adopt these methods.
The takeaway
Metascience is gaining formal backing in several countries, but its acceptance among researchers and reviewers remains uneven. Tracking how governments and the scientific community respond will show whether the field becomes a lasting part of research policy.
What happens next
Research Ireland is set to launch its meta-research unit next month.
Further reading
Explore more research-policy coverage in Mathematics for context on how the field is studied.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Times Higher Education (THE).
