DCMS R&D Science & Analysis Programme Phase 1 evaluation
Independent evaluation of Phase 1 (2022 to 2025) of the DCMS R&D Science & Analysis Programme.
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Please note that this evaluation was conducted before the most recent Machinery of Government Change announced mid-2026, and as such the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is referred to by it’s old name of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
Between December 2025 and June 2026, SQW conducted a formal, independent evaluation of Phase 1 of the DCMS R&D Science & Analysis Programme. This phase of the programme, with a total expenditure of £7.7m, ran from 2022 to 2025 and supported the commissioning of 22 independent research projects, spanning a range of topics across the DCMS and DSIT portfolios.
The evaluation was conducted in two stages; a Process evaluation, assessing the effectiveness of delivery and implementation of the programme, with a focus on what has worked well or less well, and an Impact evaluation, assessing the extent to which the programme has delivered benefits. The findings of the evaluation are supported by five Impact Case Studies, exploring and exemplifying the work of the programme.
This evaluation was funded by the R&D Science and Analysis Programme at the Department for Culture, Media & Sport. It was developed and produced according to the research team’s hypotheses and methods. Any primary research, subsequent findings or recommendations do not represent Government views or policy, nor the views of individual academic contributors.