Foreign Office seeks better ties with academia

The Foreign Office has identified a list of research priorities for 2018 in a bid to establish a “more sophisticated dialogue” with academia.

The department is looking to engage more with academic research that could enable it to respond more effectively to “new and sometimes unexpected” natural and political events, it said in a document published on 30 November. Such events could include Brexit, terrorism and changes to the global economy, the document said.

Research findings could help with forecasting or metrics to evaluate policy options, the document said. For example, they could provide insight into the future relationship between the UK and the European Union, the impact of Brexit on the UK’s overseas territories and the effectiveness of economic sanctions, it said.