Why AIRON is launching the State of AI in Research Operations 2026 survey

Artificial intelligence is moving quickly across the research ecosystem. But one thing is still missing: a clearer shared picture of what is actually happening in practice.

A lot of us are seeing the same pattern. Some teams are experimenting actively. Some institutions are putting guidance and governance in place. Some people are already using AI every day for drafting, summarising, searching, and structuring work. Others are still trying to work out where it fits, what the risks are, and what good looks like in a research operations context.

That is exactly why we are launching the AIRON Community Survey: State of AI in Research Operations 2026.

Why this survey matters

Right now, conversations about AI in research operations are often happening in fragments.

One institution is piloting tools for funding intelligence. Another is exploring policy and governance. Another is trying to understand how staff capability needs are changing. Another is still at the stage of informal experimentation by individuals or teams.

All of that matters. But if we want to move beyond hype, scattered examples, or isolated concerns, we need something more grounded: a community-level view of how AI is actually being used, where it is creating value, what barriers are slowing adoption, and what organisations need next.

Th AIRON Community Survey is designed to help us build that picture together.

It will explore:

adoption trends across the research ecosystem
AI-enabled workflows, tools, and emerging professional roles
barriers, risks, and organisational readiness
workforce development and capability-building needs
governance models and responsible, context-aware use of AI.

In other words, this is not just a survey about tools. It is a survey about transition because AI is not only changing how individual tasks get done. It is starting to reshape expectations, workflows, capability needs, governance questions, and the wider operating environment around research support.

Why it is important to contribute and share the survey

A strong community picture depends on breadth.

We want to hear from people across different parts of the research ecosystem, across different regions, and across different levels of AI maturity — from early exploration to more structured adoption.

That means it is important not only to complete the survey, but also to share it.

Please send the survey to colleagues, peers, networks, and organisations involved in supporting research. The more perspectives we include, the more useful the findings will be for everyone.

This matters because research operations is not one single function. It includes a wide range of roles, institutional contexts, constraints, and opportunities. A useful picture of AI adoption has to reflect that diversity.

The value of this survey will come from the community contributing to something bigger than any one institution’s experience.

What AIRON members will gain from it

The findings from this survey will inform a forthcoming AIRON community report and future AIRON programming.

For AIRON members, that means access to a stronger shared evidence base on questions such as:

where AI is already making an impact in research operations
which use cases are gaining traction
where informal experimentation is moving ahead of formal governance
what barriers and risks are showing up most clearly
what capability-building support is needed across the sector
how organisations are approaching responsible use in practice.

This kind of insight helps all of us.

It helps individuals benchmark where they are. It helps teams make the case for capability-building and governance. It helps leaders understand where action is needed next. And it helps the wider community move forward with more clarity, less noise, and more shared learning.

One year of AIRON insights in one hour

The launch of the survey will begin with a live AIRON community briefing:

AI in Research Operations: One Year in One Hour
Thursday 26 March 2026, 4:00–5:00 p.m. GMT

Over the past 12 months, the AIRON community has hosted expert talks, tool demonstrations, and discussions exploring how AI is being used across research operations.

In this one-hour community intelligence briefing, I will bring those insights together — highlighting where AI is already making an impact, what approaches seem to work, what to avoid, and what research organisations should consider next.

This session is designed as both a reflection point and a launch point.

It is a chance to step back, make sense of what we have been learning as a community over the last year, and will open the next phase of shared insight through the State of AI in Research Operations 2026 survey.

Event link:
https://www.linkedin.com/events/7435257055076122625?viewAsMember=true

Survey timeline

The survey will open with the 26 March session and will run until the end of May 2026.

It will be shared through the AIRON newsletter, so please make sure you are signed up if you would like to receive the survey link, updates, and the final results.

Once the survey closes and the report is complete, the findings will be shared with AIRON members through the newsletter and wider AIRON community channels.

Newsletter sign-up:
https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/397067/149961960673249059/share

You are also warmly invited to join the AIRON LinkedIn community to continue the conversation with peers across research operations:

AIRON LinkedIn community:
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14495341/

Thank you for helping build this together

One of the most valuable things about AIRON is that it brings together people who are not just reacting to change, but actively trying to understand it, shape it, and apply it responsibly.

This AIRON Community Survey is part of that work.

Thank you in advance to everyone who contributes, shares the survey, and helps broaden the picture. The stronger the community response, the more useful the findings will be for all of us.

We will all benefit from having a better shared understanding of where AI in research operations stands now — and what comes next.