The UK's global influence increasingly depends on its capacity to shape preferences and attract allies through soft power. Yet unlike economic policy, where the Institute for Fiscal Studies provides rigorous independent analysis, we lack a dedicated research centre studying how the UK can effectively deploy its cultural, diplomatic and institutional assets. While competitors like China invest heavily in understanding and projecting soft power, the UK's approach remains fragmented across universities, think tanks and government departments.
This fragmentation has real costs. We are missing opportunities to leverage our considerable soft power resources—from education and creative industries to scientific research and democratic institutions. The solution is clear but requires careful consideration of both strategic needs and practical implementation: we must establish an independent Centre for Soft Power Research that draws together existing expertise while fostering new academic leadership in this emerging field.
The challenge is structural. Soft power research spans multiple disciplines—from international relations and political communication to cultural studies and digital sociology. While the UK has world-leading scholars in these fields, we lack mechanisms to bring their expertise together for policy-relevant research. Leading academics who could drive this initiative are already invested in their disciplinary departments, where traditional metrics of academic success often discourage policy-engaged, interdisciplinary work.
A practical two-stage approach can address these challenges. First, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office should establish a £250,000 development grant scheme. This would enable a leading university to assemble an interdisciplinary team and develop a comprehensive Research Council bid. The initial funding would support secondments, workshops and pilot studies—demonstrating the value of integrated soft power research and creating momentum for the second stage: a major Research Council application for long-term centre funding.
The centre itself should follow a hub and spoke model, with a core research team focusing on synthesis and policy engagement, supported by affiliated research clusters in partner universities. This structure allows the centre to tap existing academic excellence while building new capacity in soft power research. International research partners would ensure global perspective and reach, while advisory networks would link to cultural institutions and diplomatic practitioners.
Governance and funding must be carefully structured to ensure both independence and impact. While private sector insights are crucial, funding should come primarily from public sources to maintain credibility and avoid conflicts of interest. A robust governance structure would include academic management of research strategy, complemented by advisory input from business leaders, cultural figures and former diplomats.
Building academic capacity requires specific attention to nurturing new talent alongside engaging established scholars. The centre should create postdoctoral fellowships spanning disciplinary boundaries, support PhD students working on soft power themes, and develop metrics that recognise policy impact alongside traditional academic outputs. A dedicated working paper series and peer-reviewed journal would help establish soft power research as a legitimate field of academic inquiry.
The centre would address critical questions that currently fall between institutional gaps: How can the UK maximise the diplomatic impact of its universities? What role should the BBC play in digital public diplomacy? How can cultural institutions support strategic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific? Beyond research, it would create a hub for knowledge exchange between policymakers, academics and cultural leaders, enhancing policy coordination across government departments and cultural organisations.
The investment required is modest compared to potential returns. The initial FCDO development grant of £250,000, followed by a Research Council centre grant comparable to similar research institutions, would create substantial new capacity for understanding and enhancing UK soft power. The hub and spoke model ensures efficient use of resources by leveraging existing expertise while building new capabilities.
For this vision to become reality, immediate action is needed from both government and universities. Government should commission a scoping study on existing UK soft power research capacity and establish the FCDO development grant scheme, while engaging Research Councils on longer-term funding options. Universities should begin identifying potential host institutions and academic partners, mapping relevant research expertise across disciplines, and planning engagement with international partners.
As global competition intensifies and traditional power dynamics shift, understanding and deploying soft power effectively becomes critical to UK interests. The proposed centre would provide the evidence base and strategic insight needed to maintain British influence in a changing world, while creating sustainable academic capacity in this vital field. Through careful attention to academic incentives and institutional structures, we can build a centre that delivers real value for policymakers while maintaining scholarly rigour.
The time for action is now. Without dedicated research capacity on soft power, the UK risks falling behind competitors in the race for global influence. This practical proposal offers a cost-effective path to ensuring our considerable soft power assets deliver maximum strategic benefit for British interests.