University of York joins the Open Innovation Team project
Posted on 19 June 2019
Academics meet at Downing Street to sign a three-year agreement for the Open Innovation Team project.
The Open Innovation Team was set up as a partnership between the Cabinet Office and the universities of Bath, Lancaster, Southampton and Warwick in 2016. The project enables government departments to work closely with academics and develop analysis and ideas in key policy areas.
It will now be extended to 2022, with the latest round of funding coming from the University of York, Brunel University London, the University of Essex and Lancaster University.
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.
The Minister for Implementation, Oliver Dowden, 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.”
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.”
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.