- The Open Innovation Team was set up in 2016 to help
government departments generate new ideas with the help
of academics
- Universities of Brunel, Essex, Lancaster and York
provide £1m funding for next three years
- Project has already helped develop policy in areas
including young people’s mental health
A successful project which helps to develop innovative new
policies by linking up government officials with
universities across the UK, is to be extended for another
three years.
The Open Innovation Team was set up in 2016 to help
government departments work more closely with academics to
develop analysis and ideas in key policy areas.
The initial trial saw government officials connect with
more than 500 academics and deliver almost 30 projects,
covering some of the government’s key policy priorities.
This included white papers on mental health and online
harms, as well as projects on economic growth and gender
equality.
Thanks to a funding deal worth more than £1million, the
project will now be extended to 2022, with the latest round
of funding coming from Brunel University, Essex University,
Lancaster University and York University.
The Minister for Implementation, , said:
Working with academics in this way has brought expertise
and fresh thinking into how government officials are
approaching some of the most challenging policy issues.
I am delighted to see the project extended for another
three years and look forward to what we can achieve
through these new partnerships.
The extension of the programmes will see academics work
with government officials on a wide range of topics,
including areas such as digital transformation, economic
growth and preventative healthcare.
The move has been welcomed by academics from across the
four partner universities.
Professor Rebecca Lingwood, Provost of Brunel University
London, said:
We are very excited to join the Open Innovation
Partnership, and look forward to establishing sustained
and productive connections between our academics and
policy makers, and involving our students in real policy
work. Matching up Brunel’s academic rigour with the
policy and project needs of government will help us
deliver true economic, social and cultural impact.
Professor Christine Raines, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research)
at the University of Essex, said:
As a leading, dual-intensive university with a strong
link between transformative education and research, our
research is making a difference to people’s lives and we
look forward to this new partnership bringing our
research into public policy through joint projects with
the Cabinet Office and Whitehall departments.
Dr Giles Carden, Chief of Staff & Director of Strategic
Projects , Lancaster University said:
Staff and students at Lancaster have reaped many benefits
from our involvement in the pilot phase of the scheme,
and we very much look forward to further enhancing our
links with the Government and Whitehall during the next
phase.
Professor Matthew Festenstein, Director of the Research
Centre for Social Sciences at the University of York, said:
This is an important initiative to help bring government
closer to the latest world-class research in a wide range
of areas, and the University of York is delighted to be
part of it.
To mark the extension of the project, an official signing
ceremony was held at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday, June 18.
The universities of Bath, Lancaster, Southampton and
Warwick funded the pilot project, which ran from 2016 to
2018.
