With the Academy and its Campaign for Social Science well into its programme of autumn activities, I wanted to take the opportunity to think back on the past 12 months and reflect on just some of our work in advocacy for and promotion of the social sciences in the UK. I know this has been another very challenging year for colleagues working in academic social science, with many HEIs continuing to face financial pressures. Sadly, this makes our work even more important in championing the social sciences and the benefits they bring to us all. We are hugely grateful for the sustained level of financial support we received again this year from our Fellows and member learned societies as subscriptions, Campaign supporters, and grant funders and donors. We spend our resources wisely and frugally and, I hope you will agree, we punch well above our weight.
In a year of external changes deeply relevant to the social sciences, including UKRI funding reorganisation, HEI restructuring, governmental doubling down on the regional growth agenda, and the explosion of AI, our work has centred on some of the most topical issues.
The recent publication of this year’s policy report in association with Campaign Sponsor Sage, was particularly timely given some of the Budget announcements. It demonstrates the breadth of disciplines that bring research evidence, expert insight and perspectives to the ‘Good Growth’ agenda and illustrates key opportunities and challenges, with provocations from leading experts at the start of each chapter and a concluding chapter from our President, Will Hutton FAcSS. A forthcoming Campaign report (December 2026) will continue the theme of policy relevance by framing the important ways in which social sciences can contribute to the delivery of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and exemplifying this with selected case studies for each of its eight priority themes. Both reports help underpin our advocacy for the contributions of social science evidence to policymaking in government priority areas and for the funding of social science research in a time of significant change.
The Campaign team hasn’t only been busy with reports in 2026. With elections to Holyrood and the Senedd earlier this year and the Burnham administration pushing for more devolved decision making away from Whitehall, the Campaign’s programme of work around devolution is also very timely. Alongside numerous comment pieces from leading social scientists on the Devolution Hub, the team has been out and about across the UK partnering with Campaign supporters and others to deliver events in Belfast, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Oxford, Southampton and York, as well as online. The events programme for this year will be brought to an end with the Campaign’s Annual Sage Lecture which is being delivered by Professor Dame Diane Coyle FAcSS, who will draw together her thoughts on how to achieve growth in different places across the UK. Do join us in London for the lecture and networking – registration is open.
Throughout the year we have kept in touch with pressures and changes across HE in the UK as far as we can, aided by insights from our learned society members, from Fellows and discussions with executive leaders of social science in our FLSS forum. The health and the identity of social science is of paramount importance to the Academy, and we will continue to monitor developments, and advocate for the social sciences where appropriate. We were pleased to see expert advice from the learned societies being sought in the REF 2029 preparation processes this year, which we had strongly advocated for. We have continued to work closely and collaboratively with member societies throughout the year, including introducing new policy and membership working groups.
Earlier this year, the Academy was delighted to have received further funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC, UK Research and Innovation) to help enhance inclusivity in the social sciences community, as a second phase of our work on equality, diversity and inclusion with our member learned societies. This joint programme aims to encourage and facilitate greater action to support inclusivity across the societies’ work with their higher education communities. This new phase focuses on inclusivity in research, training and innovation and exemplification of ‘what works’ in fostering inclusivity. The work has got off to great start having awarded funding to support four inclusivity initiatives and interventions.
In another part of our activities to support the pipeline of social scientists, as a pilot the Academy reached out to all secondary schools in England distributing two posters to help raise awareness of skills and careers with social science. Anyone who has children or grandchildren at school will know that social science as a sector has no ‘name’ presence in schools (the subjects are classified as humanities or in ‘other’) albeit individual social science subjects are popular A Level choices. The posters are also available to download on our website and complement our ongoing work to promote awareness of careers in social science.
Reaching out more widely to the public, the Academy’s social sciences podcast, The We Society with Will Hutton, is currently in its twelfth season and has notched up over 530,000 listens across all episodes released to date. The podcast achieved another first this year, in being one of ten longlisted in the Education Category of the British Podcast Awards. This is a testament to the team behind the podcast, not least our President and podcast host, Will Hutton, our partners at the Nuffield Foundation and Leverhulme Trust, and to Whistledown Productions.
As well as featuring on the podcast, one of our We Society guests, Professor Rana Mitter FBA, also delivered this year’s Academy Annual Lecture. In a wide-ranging talk, Rana assessed how the world will change, and how Europe might react, in an era when the leaders of the US and China seek to change global order in new and unpredictable directions. It’s well worth a watch if you haven’t done so already.
Elsewhere, the Academy’s journal, Contemporary Social Science, has gone from strength to strength under the leadership of Co-Editors in Chief Professors David Bailey FAcSS and Phil Tomlinson FAcSS. The journal’s Impact Factor has risen to 6.2 and it retains its Q1 ranking for both SciVal and Citescore. It is also ranked 7/275 in the category of ‘Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary’.
The Academy’s community has continued to grow modestly in 2026, with new Fellows being elected after scrutiny by the Nominations Committee, and the Joint University Social Work Association joining our member learned society network which currently stands at an impressive 46 members. In addition, Professor Philippe Aghion, Professor Anna Vignoles and Professor Sir Christopher Whitty were appointed Honorary Fellows of the Academy, in recognition of their significant contributions to the promotion of social science.
There has also been some change to the Academy’s trustees, with Professor Christina Boswell FBA FAcSS FRSE appointed as the new Chair of the Campaign for Social Science this summer. Christina, who is Professor of Politics at the University of Edinburgh, has extensive experience in social science leadership and advisory roles and in advancing the role of research in policy. We are looking forward to working with her to shape the future of the Campaign’s work and to grow its impact further.
Looking back on the year to date, I’m proud of all that we have achieved thus far. I remain immensely appreciative of the efforts of our small, dedicated staff team of nine people, and of the vital support and collaboration of our Fellows, member learned societies, Campaign sponsors, other donors and partners, trustees and other committee members. Together, we continue our work guided by our 2024-2029 strategy and in line with our charitable purpose ‘the promotion of social sciences in the UK for public benefit’. We do this on behalf of all social scientists in our community and beyond and because social science research, education and practice used well makes the UK and the world a better place. Social science is needed more now than ever. Thank you for being part of the Academy.