Stocktake of Regional Research - Summary Report and Gap Analysis

Since the Regional Australia Institute (RAI) was established in late 2011, many researchers and users of research in regions and government have spoken to RAI about the on-going challenge of connecting with relevant existing knowledge about regional development.

The Stocktake of Regional Research is a first step in creating a long term solution to this issue. The project provides people involved in regional development with easier access to the latest knowledge. The project also supports researchers who want to see their work taken up and used for the benefit of regions to connect their insights to decision makers.

Overall the Stocktake of Regional Research has found that:

• the research literature of relevance to regional Australia is large but highly fragmented;
• the research literature is largely unknown to and often considered irrelevant by policy makers;
• RAI's four research Themes adequately cover the scope of research and areas of interest that RAI will need to take into account in its work; and
• there is enormous scope and demand for additional research work.