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Overview

The Department for Transport (DfT) is committed to making policies that are based on evidence. We use research to understand the context in which we are working and the challenges we are facing, and how these will change over time. We also use research to understand the likely impacts of our policies and to evaluate their effectiveness.

This document provides a statement of the levels of compliance of DfT’s research with the Concordat to Support Research Integrity (the Concordat), the academic standard and national framework for good research and governance, for the year ending March 2025.

Consistent with the principles of the Concordat, DfT seeks to conduct research which follows the highest standards of rigour and integrity, uses appropriate ethical, legal and professional standards, and is underpinned by a culture of integrity and good governance. Our approach follows the guidance to implement the Concordat of the Government Office for Science (GO-Science).

Governance

DfT’s Research and Development (R&D) programme is overseen by its R&D Board, which is chaired by our Chief Scientific Adviser, Sarah Sharples. Ian Mulheirn, our Chief Analyst, is the senior manager overseeing research integrity.  The Chief Analyst’s Office provides administrative support and is the lead contact for any queries around research integrity issues.

Contact: caomailbox@dft.gov.uk.

Processes to support a culture of research integrity

Research integrity in government is underpinned by the Seven Principles of Public Life (the ‘Nolan Principles’) and the Civil Service Code. The codes and guidance for the analysis and science professions also provide support. Within DfT, further support is provided by bespoke guidance including our Analytical Assurance Framework and .

For individual research projects, a proforma is used to highlight expected professional standards and capture authorisations. Governance is provided through senior analysts and research managers, the heads of analysis and science and engineering professions, the Chief Scientific Adviser, the Chief Analyst and the R&D Board. Annual management assurance exercises are used to monitor compliance with standards.

Analysis and research staff are briefed on the requirements to comply with the Concordat, based on the guidance of GO-Science. Guidance on this has been provided on our intranet and shared with our arms-length bodies. Annual management assurance exercises are used to monitor compliance with standards.

Open science, research protocols and publications of research

DfT is committed to publishing the research studies it commissions to inform its policies and projects, in accordance with principles of open science and the Government Social Research (GSR) publication protocol, which has been adopted in the GO-Science guidance to implement the concordat. Research outputs will be published at the final report stage after thorough analytical review of their findings has been completed, including peer review where appropriate. Interim outputs will not be published routinely.

The GSR publication protocol’s established guideline for publication is that research outputs should be published within 12 weeks of finalisation. Our compliance with this guideline is stronger for social research and evaluation studies, for which it is a long-established principle, than for other types of research in scope of the concordat, for which this principle has been introduced through the published GO-Science guidance.

Outputs from transport economics, appraisal and modelling research continue to be published regularly, although this is often later than the 12-week guideline. We will continue work to ensure that more of these outputs are published quickly.

Our innovation and R&D programmes (the majority of which cover science and engineering research) are deemed to be compliant with the publication standard, noting permitted exceptions i.e. commercial confidentiality. During 2025 to 2026 we will explore further modifications to grant and contractual agreements with our suppliers to ensure that final reports are published. This too, will implement an expectation that programmes will publish a summary of research plans at their start.

Social research studies are generally published in accordance with the guidance although there have been several publications which have been delayed beyond the 12-week guideline in the past year. This is sometimes to align publication with policy announcements.

Evaluation studies are also generally published in accordance with the guidance. We are co-operating with the new evaluation registry for government evaluations, ensuring that evaluation reports and some evaluation plans are stored there.

We continue to explore ways of increasing model transparency, including identifying which models and outputs are in scope for publication (focusing on substantial models that are of wider industry public interest and enduring application), and ensuring compliance with the forthcoming update to the AQuA Book.

DfT is complying with standards set out in the Algorithmic Transparency Reporting Standard Hub (ATRS). The ATRS has a commitment to explore an appropriate and effective way to deliver greater transparency on complex algorithm-assisted decision making in the public sector.

In line with other areas of research, we plan to publish data science research where applicable. Data science code will be made open, where it is possible to do so. We have established clear assurance processes for artificial intelligence (AI), which include ensuring transparency guidelines are followed. Behavioural and social research to support AI adoption is planned, and outputs will be published where possible. Data science research projects have commenced but outputs are not yet finalised. We expect the first of the outputs and their publication to take place in 2025 to 2026.

We note the GSR publication protocol’s guideline (introduced in December 2021) that protocols and analysis plans should usually be developed and published in advance of any study being started. We are committed to publishing protocols for our higher-value research studies, those costing more than £500,000, for example the Baseline Synthesis for the Transforming Cities Fund National Evaluation, published in September 2024. We do not publish protocols for lower-value studies, on the grounds of proportionality (those studies would still have their outputs published when completed).