The world of research and the factors that affect it can change like the weather, so what trends are impacting the sector this year?
A career in the research space can be incredibly exciting and rewarding, particularly if you are working on a project that has the potential to create real-world change. As with any career, there are a number of external patterns and trends that greatly impact not only the individual and their institution, but the work itself.
To give an example from the distant past, the advent of the first computer in the early 19th century and the various upgrades throughout the decades, has revolutionised the majority of industries, changing how researchers access, compile and leverage information to build and prove their studies.
So, now that we are at the halfway point of the year, what trends are affecting researchers and their careers in 2025?
Data privacy
The world, over the course of the last couple of years, has become an incredibly vulnerable place and now more than ever, it is crucial that researchers stay up to date with changes in data privacy. Not least because researchers in fields such as pharma, healthcare and finance are dealing with extraordinarily sensitive information. It has also made professionals with the corresponding skills attractive to recruiters and companies.
Foundational knowledge in GDPR and any changes in relevant regulation and frameworks is a must. Additionally, researchers should ensure that they are up to date on consent laws when it comes to the storing and use of data. Learning in this field will change every single year and is not a short-term commitment. Rather, researchers will have to ensure that they have the resources needed to stay educated and informed in regards to data privacy.
While every country is going to have their own policies, an example of recent changes affecting researchers and people in all manner of STEM careers include a range of state-specific laws in the US and new procedural rules relating to the enforcement of GDPR from the EU Commission, the Council and European Parliament.
Emerging technology
Similar to the constant work it takes to stay updated with changes in policy and regulation, every year a trend impacting the research space, perhaps more so than any other, is the advances made in tech.
Researchers depend on a range of diverse and high-functioning technologies to drive their work and generate results. In 2025, the majority of researchers should have a degree of skill in artificial intelligence, particularly as models become further integrated into organisational systems.
Additionally, researchers throughout 2025 and beyond should take advantage of opportunities to upskill in areas such as quantum computing, 5G, 6G and machine learning. As the technologies of the future, researchers will likely come to depend on them more and more, as their work progresses and the impossible becomes plausible.
Sustainable innovation
For researchers in environmental, climate and biodiversity-related areas, as well as a range of other departments under the STEM umbrella, there is a keen focus on sustainability and building a future supported by green policy and technology.
As more and more organisations and institutions commit to CSR and ESG projects, particularly in relation to clean energy, researchers and STEM professionals with climate-focused skills have an opportunity to excel.
With Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA, having recently announced research funding of €6.9m for 11 projects aiming to tackle climate change-related environmental, health and economic challenges, many countries are looking to researchers, institutions and governments to help achieve their climate goals.
Researchers are at the forefront of this movement, as their work will advance scientific understanding of the effects of the climate crisis, the technologies and measures that can have a positive effect and offer insights for potential policy changes.
For researchers in 2025, there is much uncertainty. From significant technological change, the worsening climate crisis and the global political upheaval, now more than ever we need an educated, informed and well-resourced cache of researchers ready to address the world’s most pressing problems.
For that to happen, researchers should stay clued-in and on top of the many trends and patterns dictating the landscape.
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