Two new education centres launched

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced plans for a £6 million investment into two new research centres. The aim is for the centres to play a direct role in shaping education policy across England.

The initiative was revealed on 12 May 2026. The government believes it marks a significant shift toward embedding academic research more closely within government decision‑making.

Placing evidence at the heart of policy

The government has said the two centres will focus on complementary areas: educational neuroscience and the economics of education. Together, they are intended to ensure that policies affecting children and young people are grounded in robust scientific and economic evidence rather than short‑term assumptions or limited data.

Early education minister, Olivia Bailey, said:

“Decisions should of course 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 make sure 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.”

Two centres, two areas of focus

The first centre is set to be the Educational Neuroscience Policy Research Centre. The plan is for this centre to explore how children learn and develop. The DfE says it will have a particular emphasis on early identification of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), mental health, and the impact of new technologies such as artificial intelligence on learning. The plan is to bring together experts from leading universities. This includes University College London, Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol and Birkbeck. The government believes that the centre will provide ministers with rapid, policy‑relevant insights.

The second centre has been announced as the Educational Economics Research Centre. The plan is for this centre to examine the long‑term social and economic value of education. The project is being led by UCL in partnership with the London School of Economics and the Institute for Fiscal Studies. The government says it will develop tools to assess how education policies affect outcomes over time, particularly for disadvantaged groups.

A new approach to policymaking

A key aim of both centres is to support faster, more informed policymaking. By creating ongoing partnerships between government and academic researchers, the DfE hopes to access high‑quality evidence quickly and apply it directly to policy challenges as they arise.

Department for education chief scientific advisor, 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 give us both – bringing together the best of neuroscience and economics across two focused centres to put a stronger evidence base at the heart of education policy.”

This approach represents a departure from recent practice. For more than a decade, the government has channelled much of its education research funding through intermediary organisations such as the Education Endowment Foundation, rather than universities themselves. The new funding signals a “deliberate shift” back toward direct collaboration with academic experts.

Impact and questions ahead

Supporters argue that the move could lead to more effective and better‑targeted reforms. They believe it will particularly impact areas such as SEND provision, early years development, and children’s mental health. By combining insights from neuroscience and economics, policymakers may gain a more complete picture of how education systems affect both individual outcomes and wider society.

However, some observers have raised questions about how independent the research will remain, given its close alignment with government priorities. Others note that the initial focus appears heavily weighted toward schools, with less attention given to further education and skills.

Overall, the £6 million investment is less about the scale of funding and more about its strategic intent. By bringing scientific and economic expertise directly into the policymaking process, the DfE is aiming to build a stronger evidence base for decisions that will shape the future of education in England.