Jisc’s plans for a potential new research analytics service have started with a discovery phase to help define the problems around research analytics as the starting point to possible solutions. At the end of this phase there will be a brief defining the work required to produce a research analytics service. We have been working with a number of institutions and stakeholders to explore the problems faced by institutional leaders, managers, professionals and academic staff concerning the planning, management and evaluation of research, where better analytic insight would help address these problems. This presentation will highlight the progress made defining these problems, what we have learnt and plans for the next stage in the discovery process.