Research in Practice: the Scotland Productivity Forum approach
The Scotland Forum is pioneering an innovative ‘research in practice’ model to accelerate inclusive growth and shared prosperity across Scotland. Researchers are working directly with policymakers, businesses and communities to develop and test evidence together. The aim is to turn research into practical outcomes faster for the people of Scotland.
Interconnected programmes
The Scotland Productivity Forum is running a set of linked programmes to improve productivity across high‑value industries, regional economies and public services. Scotland has strong research institutions, emerging innovation clusters, and commitments to fair work and sustainability. But long-standing structural problems hold productivity back. These include fragmented innovation systems, uneven digital adoption, regional disparities in organisational capability and challenges in integrating public services.
Three linked programmes – the Innovation‑Driven Productivity programme, the Unlocking Regional Productivity programme, and the Joining Up Public Services programme – aim to address these issues.
At the heart of the Forum’s ambition is a three-part productivity framework developed specifically for a devolved-nation context. It recognises that productivity must serve social as well as economic goals. It also recognises that Scotland’s distinct institutional landscape offers opportunities to test new approaches. The three dimensions – technology adoption, workplace innovation and sustainability – each supports the others, and together they provide a pathway to improving productivity while supporting wellbeing and fairness.
The three pillars of research in practice
Technology adoption focuses on enabling organisations to integrate digital tools and data-driven processes in ways that enhance capability rather than widen inequalities.- Workplace innovation puts emphasis on empowering workers through skills, job redesign, and involving workers inmanagement practices.
- Sustainability ensures that productivity gains contribute to long-term resilience, net zero ambitions and the broader wellbeing economy.
The Forum is already demonstrating how this approach can generate tangible benefits. Early collaborations with businesses, public services and third-sector partners show that applying research in practice not only accelerates learning but builds Scotland’s capacity for system-wide change.
By foregrounding productivity as a tool for inclusive growth and shared prosperity, the Scotland Productivity Forum is championing a distinctive and forward-looking trajectory for research, policy, and practice in the devolved nations.
Find out more about the programmes on the Scotland Productivity Forum page.
