On 4th June, The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) held an online event to raise awareness of our recently published Areas of Research Interest (ARIs), and strengthen our OPSS connections with the research community.
Around 60 external researchers from a range of institutions joined us. It was a pleasure to welcome both existing research partners and researchers engaging with OPSS for the first time. The sessions focused on each ARI theme and offered researchers the opportunity to connect, discuss relevant evidence and explore future collaboration. We captured ideas and sparked conversations about the innovative work being done that spanned the wide-ranging remit of OPSS.
Attendees were encouraged to engage with questions that will shape the future of UK product safety and regulation. Discussions ranged from exploring how we could better understand consumer behaviours and decisions, making the most of innovative products while keeping people safe, to building confidence in new chemical testing methods to reduce reliance on animal studies. These are just a few of the key areas where we believe research can make a meaningful contribution to our work to regulate consumer and construction products.
Sharing insights from across OPSS and the research community
Graham Russell, Chief Executive of OPSS, set out the organisation’s mission: to protect people and places from product-related harm, while supporting responsible business growth and innovation. He emphasised that effective regulation is not about choosing between consumer protection and economic growth, but about achieving both through better evidence, insight and collaboration.
He reflected on how product regulation has become more complex since OPSS was established in 2018, shaped by changing technologies, evolving supply chains and new consumer behaviours. He noted that these challenges often go beyond technical or regulatory issues and require expertise from a range of disciplines, including engineering, statistics, behavioural science and economics.
Graham also highlighted the importance of research in helping OPSS understand risk, respond to emerging issues and design effective interventions. He said stronger evidence can support safer innovation, responsible business and better outcomes for consumers, and encouraged attendees to see the event as the start of an ongoing partnership to strengthen the evidence base for product regulation in the UK.
Rebekah Eden, Chief Analytical Officer and Deputy Director of Analysis, focused on how OPSS uses research and evidence to support policy, regulation and enforcement. She outlined the wide range of evidence sources OPSS draws upon, from surveys and behavioural research to technical studies, horizon scanning and analytical models, and explained how this work has shaped OPSS’s first Areas of Research Interest and future opportunities for collaboration.
Wendy Middleton, Chief Scientific Officer and Deputy Director for Science, explored the practical use of science, engineering and technical evidence in real-world regulatory settings. Her session showed how specialist evidence supports OPSS decision-making and highlighted the importance of scientific expertise in responding to emerging product risks and future regulatory challenges, including into the safety of e-bike and e-scooter batteries, following a rising number of fires related to these products.
Later in the event, Jennifer Harris, Head of Evidence Strategy, explained how we developed our first ARIs. She described the process of identifying evidence gaps, grouping them into themes and designing questions to encourage reflection, discussion and collaboration, while also showing how the ARIs are intended to support more informed and timely regulatory decision-making.
Alice Toft from UCL Public Policy spoke about the role of university and policy engagement networks, including Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN), and gave attendees a chance to share how OPSS can better work with researchers and industry, what routes and pathways to research are available or need to be developed.
Finally, attendees heard about how they could keep in touch with OPSS, join our research network to hear about opportunities such as applying for our Register of Specialists and continue the conversation about future collaborations, including research fellowships, and shared evidence priorities. Conversations are already taking place between OPSS colleagues and attendees regarding the use of large language models (LLMs) for analysing online reviews, impact assessments and quantifying psychological harm.
Looking ahead
We hope attendees found the event useful and that it marks the start of continued collaboration to build a stronger evidence base for regulating consumer and construction products. Attendees who signed up to our research network will be kept informed about relevant future projects. We will also be reviewing the helpful feedback attendees provided to shape the future engagement and events we will offer.
If you would like to hear about future research opportunities with OPSS and events, sign up for our research updates by emailing: opss.research@businessandtrade.gov.uk
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