Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities

Host organisation: Scottish Government

Project title: Scottish Government Areas of Research Interest - Accelerating development and evaluation

Project description

The Scottish Government publishes Areas of Research Interest (ARIs) setting out research themes, and related questions, integral to the achievement of its medium- to long-term objectives. They cover a broad range of research topics and methods. Seven SG ARIs have been published to date and several more will be published later in 2026-27.

We wish to ensure that ARIs are an effective means of addressing crucial evidence gaps to inform thinking in SG’s priority policy areas. Eradicating child poverty remains the Scottish Government’s key priority (Tackling child poverty delivery plan 2026-2031) and this internship will support ARI development in that area, as well as contributing to evaluating the impact of other ARI publications to date.

A coordination team from the Office of the Chief Researcher and the Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser supports policy areas across SG with their ARI development, engagement planning and impact evaluation. With oversight from the coordination team and colleagues in the Office of the Chief Social Policy Adviser, the intern will work with analysts and policy officials to develop an ARI for child poverty or related policy areas that directly contribute to the Tackling Child Poverty delivery plan. This will entail engaging with policy teams and working with them and analysts to identify and refine relevant research questions. This will be followed by completing a draft ARI that can then be shared with key stakeholders for feedback prior to publication. There may also be scope to contribute to ARI development in the culture policy area, as well as the potential to connect with a separate intern working on links between culture and science centres (yet to be confirmed).

The research intern will also support the coordination team to report on the delivery and impact of ARI activities across SG. This will involve collecting and analysing monitoring and evaluation indicators, in accordance with a logic model that has been developed for this initiative overall.

Outputs

The deliverables for the child poverty (or related policy areas) ARI will be: production of an initial resource document of likely relevant questions; completion of consultation on these with policy and analytical teams; preparation of a draft ARI ready to share with relevant external stakeholders that can be published following the completion of the internship. For the SG-wide monitoring and evaluation activities, the deliverables will be a short internal report and presentation to the project’s Strategic Advisory Board.

In person/remote/hybrid

Hybrid.

Benefits to the researcher

The researcher will gain an understanding of the bigger picture of government policy and ways of thinking about key priorities and evidence gaps. They will experience collaborative working with multiple teams and professionals in analysis/science and policy roles, and they will develop skills in communicating insights at a strategic level.

Key relationships

The primary relationships will be with internal stakeholders in SG, including research and science profession teams, analysts and policy professionals in Communities and External Affairs and teams across SG which have published ARIs to date. There may be links with relevant external stakeholders including (for example) local authorities, charities and academics working in the area.

Additional information - please read

All Scottish Government internships must last for 3 months FTE. Interns working in the Scottish Government will need to pass the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). This process takes around six weeks and must be completed before the intern can access Scottish Government systems. Part of this entails verifying that the intern meets the Civil Service Nationality Rules - see the Annex C flowchart to check eligibility for non-reserved posts. By applying for this internship, you are affirming that you have understood these requirements and expect to be able to pass BPSS.

Subject areas

This opportunity would be relevant to the following subject areas:

Law and Legal Studies; Museum and Gallery Studies; Museum Policy & Management; Cultural Geography; Heritage Management; Policy, Arts Management and Creative Industries; Information and Knowledge Management; Cultural History; History of Science/Medicine/Technology.

Person specification

A1. Knowledge Base

• Essential: Information Seeking; Information literacy and management.

A2. Cognitive Abilities

• Essential: Synthesising.

B1. Personal qualities

• Desirable: Responsibility.

B2. Self management

• Essential: Time management.

B3. Professional & career development

• Desirable: Networking.

C1. Professional conduct

• Essential: Respect and confidentiality.

C2. Research management

• Essential: Project planning and delivery.

D1. Working with others

• Essential: Collegiality; Collaboration.

D3. Engagement & impact

• Desirable: Society and culture.

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First published: 28 September 2026