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New UCL-led research centres to inform Department for Education policymaking
The Department for Education (DfE) has awarded £6 million to establish two new research centres, both led by academics from the UCL Institute of Education.
Professor Lindsey Macmillan (UCL Social Research Institute) and Professor Jo Van Herwegen (UCL Psychology & Human Development) will lead two separate UCL-led research consortia, each established to support evidence-based policymaking at the DfE.
Led by Professor Macmillan, the Economics of Education Research Centre (EERC) will focus on developing a robust evidence base on the benefits of education and skills to help inform DfE policy decisions.
The EERC will comprise leading education economists from the UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities (CEPEO), the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) at LSE, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).
It will analyse the economic links between education and skills, including the drivers and consequences of young people being not in education, employment or training (NEET).
Centre Director Professor Macmillan said: “We don’t currently have the evidence or tools to make a strong case for preventative action to stop young people from becoming NEET. The underlying costs and benefits of acting early, before they reach the labour market, are not well evidenced.
“Through this new centre, we can support the Department for Education to better understand the trade-offs of implementing preventative action – including estimating potential savings in benefits spending, wider impacts on mental health, and reductions in crime.
“The health sector does this well, but there is more to be done to match this in the education space.”
Professor Macmillan will be joined by Professor Sandra McNally (CEP) and Christine Farquharson (IFS) on the centre’s Executive Board.
Professor Jo Van Herwegen and Professor Denis Mareschal (Birkbeck, University of London) will lead the Educational Neuroscience Policy Research Centre (ENPRC). Both currently serve as co-directors of the UCL Institute of Education and Birkbeck Centre for Educational Neuroscience (CEN).
The Educational Neuroscience consortium brings together collaborators from a range of leading institutions, including Aston University, the University of Bristol, the University of Cambridge, the University of East Anglia, the University of East London, the University of Oxford and the University of Surrey.
The ENPRC has five research strands and will investigate, among other topics related to genetics, early years and workforce development, how neuroscience can help identify children with SEND earlier, how AI is changing the way children learn, and what the science of learning tells us about supporting children’s mental health.
Professor Jo Van Herwegen said: “This is an opportunity to bring together experts in the field, to synthesise the knowledge we have and connect it directly to policy and practice.
“It’s exciting that policymakers are interested in research evidence. It’s clear from the questions they ask that they want to work with academics to find solutions together.”
Early Education Minister Olivia Bailey said: “Decisions should be rooted in what the evidence tells us actually works for children and young people.
“These new centres will help us do exactly that – bringing together some of the best minds in the country to ensure our reforms on SEND, early years and children’s mental health are built on solid foundations, and that we understand the long-term value of the choices we make.”
Department for Education Chief Scientific Adviser Michael Thomas said: “To make the best decisions for children and young people, we need a clear understanding of how they learn, and rigorous evidence of what works.
“These centres will deliver both – bringing together the best of neuroscience and economics across two focused programmes to put a stronger evidence base at the heart of education policy.”
The bids were supported by UCL Consultants Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of UCL.
Links
Original article link: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/may/new-ucl-led-research-centres-inform-department-education-policymaking
