Impact tracking tool Researchfish to be closed down next year

Impact tracking platform Researchfish will be closed down next year, its owner Elsevier has confirmed.

The system, long criticised by academics for being difficult to use, will no longer be available from 31 July 2027, a statement from the company said, adding that it would allow it to “focus on solutions that better align with customers’ needs”.

For nearly two decades, the online platform has been used by grant funders and universities to collect research outcomes such as publications or engagement activities.

It was heavily criticised in 2022 when it was accused of “bullying” by sending “threatening” tweets in response to online comments, telling academics they would be reported to their funders and employers.

Problems with Researchfish have run deeper, with frequent criticism that its interface was difficult to use and inputting data was too time consuming.

The Department of Science and Technology’s response to Adam Tickell’s review of research bureaucracy in 2024 said the system was “burdensome for users and does not make the best use of recent technological advances” and urged funders to consider alternatives.

Despite this, UK Research and Innovation renewed its contract with Researchfish in July last year. Wellcome recently announced that it will no longer be using it beyond March 2026 and is developing its own tool.

“Not many researchers or research managers will shed any tears over the closure,” said Rob Johnson, the managing director of Research Consulting.

“But the need for accountability and transparency over the use of public funds isn’t going away any time soon, and not every funder has deep enough pockets to build an in-house solution.”

Posting on LinkedIn, Johnson said that advances in AI could “offer better ways to track outcomes, without the manual form-filling that made Researchfish so unpopular”.

But there was also a risk “we’ll end up with fragmented funder systems that only make the burden worse”.

Researchfish began as a Medical Research Council project in 2008 and joined the higher education-focused software company Interfolio in 2019. It was acquired by Elsevier in 2022.

The company said in a statement: “After careful consideration, Elsevier have made the difficult decision to sunset Researchfish on July 31st 2027, when the product will no longer be available.

“This does not affect any current data collection exercises/submission periods, or any that funders wish to run between now and the sunset date.

“Researchfish will remain fully operational and supported until July 31st, 2027, and during this time users will continue to receive the same high level of service and support.”

Data stored by the platform will be deleted 12 months after the end of each funder’s contract or the closure date – whichever comes sooner, it added.

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com